Of Monsters And Artifacts
by XD W O L F I E
Summary: Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch have found a potentially powerful artefact in the Emerald Forest. When brought to Beacon Academy, the students are clueless as to what this artifact, the luminescent, could mean to its holder. The students go about their not-so-regular life, unaware of what sort of trouble is caused by the Luminescent, and its brothers, the Shining Artifacts.
1. Prologue- the Luminescent

**Prologue: The Luminescent**

When the moon is in pieces as it usually is in the world of Vytal, the emerald forest near Beacon Academy generally finds itself in complete darkness. But this is the least of a person's worries when travelling through the forest at night. Creatures, known better as the Grimm, stalk the environment, hunting those foolish enough to dare step foot in their territory. These were not simple animals looking to survive. They were monsters looking to kill. Indeed, travelling through the forest is a terrifying task… for normal people.

Luckily for Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch, they were not normal people. Together, they walked through the forest, Goodwitch at the front, as though it were common for them to do such a thing. Goodwitch, dressed in an unusual black business skirt, white long-sleeved shirt, and teal earrings, lit the way through the dense trees with something that be called a wand, which emitted a bright light at it's tip. As she walked, she constantly checked over her shoulders, determined to not let any creatures surprise her. Contrastingly, Headmaster Ozpin followed her with his head held high and always facing forward, not at all worried of what monsters may await in the bushes and the trees. Wearing an unzipped black suit over a green shirt, with a grey cross at his neck and a cane in his hand, he followed his companion in silence.

Goodwitch suddenly stopped, making Ozpin do so as well. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and as Ozpin was about to ask what was wrong, Goodwitch put a finger to his lips and put out the light at the end of her wand.

Tremors. Mighty, menacing and malicious, the tremors grew closer and closer until something was in view. The two friends quickly stepped to the side, hiding behind a tree. They both peered around the tree, Ozpin doing so faster than Goodwitch, to look at the source of the tremors.

A colossal monster, reaching over 10 metres in length, had stopped short of where the pair were hiding. It stood on two legs, with completely black fur bristling over its body, and red, vein like ripples over its arms and legs. Its face, which resembled that of a rottweilers', was pointed towards the black sky, sniffing at the air. It remained on the spot for a brief moment, attempting to track a scent, before it's beady red eyes finally rested on the tree Ozpin and Goodwitch were hiding behind. It looked down upon the tree, slowly lumbering toward it, it's footsteps now resembling earthquakes. Goodwitch and Ozpin glanced at each other.

"You can deal with this, I trust?" Spoke Ozpin, raising his voice to make himself heard. Goodwitch gave a nod, and gracefully stepped out from behind the tree, her wand poised. Her eyes met that of the monster, green eyes meeting red eyes, and raised her wand higher. The monster, now fully aware of the human before it, broke out into a run, leaving a trail of broken trees behind it. 10 metres… 5 metres… the beast almost upon Goodwitch.

Then, suddenly, a purple light emitted from the green eyed humans' wand, and the beast was struck in the head by something. It reared its head, confused, and was hit again. Something in the beast's brain told it that something was wrong, and as it came to realise that it was being hurt, a pair of trees detached themselves from the ground, enveloped in a purple light, and smashed the beast in both sides of its head. It stumbled to the ground suffering from concussion, but recovered quickly. It resumed its charge, on all fours, trying it's best to close the distance.

It was not to be. Its head connected with something, but it was not the human. A purple barrier had been summoned in front of its head, as it realised the pain of head butting a surface as strong as steel, more barriers had been erected around it, trapping it from all sides. No escape. No salvation. It could do nothing but watch as many trees unearthed themselves around it, some of them still carrying pieces of earth at their roots, all wrapped in the mysterious purple light, and stopped above the monster. The light disappeared around the trees, and they came clattering into the space occupied by the beast. Living was not possible. The beast was crushed under the weight of the trees, its bones breaking into pieces, and roared in pain. The roar eventually died out, much like the beast itself. The barriers surrounding it disappeared, and the various trees rolled off of the dead beast. Not a dignified death, to say the least.

"Exemplary work, Glynda." Ozpin appeared from around the tree, his facial expression hardly changed in the slightest.

"We should be close, correct?" Goodwitch asked, as though no battle had taken place. They both continued through the forest, with Goodwitch shrugging off the compliment she was given.

"Indeed. Larger monsters make a habit of appearing near the artefact. I believe that the larger the monster, the more keen it's ability to sense such a thing."Casually said Ozpin, navigating a small crater where a tree had once been. He allowed Goodwitch to take the lead again, and she re-lit the light on her wand.

"So if I am correct, that beast was not attempting to find us, but did so in it's search for the artefact?" As Goodwin passed the beast's corpse, she looked down upon it in pity, but only for a brief second. She then extended her hand towards Ozpin, expecting something.

Ozpin knew what she wanted. As he reached into the inside pocket of his suit, he reminded himself of how wonderful a friendship could be. He had known Glynda for a number of years, and he admired her ability to communicate with him using not words, but simple gestures. It was a sign of how well they knew each other. He took a compass out of his pocket, and pressed it into her hand.

"Have you considered investing in clothes that have pockets, Glynda?" Ozpin joked with a smile, which in turn mildly annoyed Goodwitch. She was dressed for teaching, not trekking through a forest.

Goodwitch glanced at the compass. It showed various symbols on the edge of the circle, with 2 hands pointing in various directions. It would have made sense to almost nobody, but Goodwitch understood it. One needle showed how close they were to their destination by pointing at various symbols. The other showed her the direction their destination was in. She altered her direction before giving her friend the compass back. They continued their trek for a few minutes, and finally found what they were looking for.

They stood in a large clearing, with Goodwitch's light illuminating the area. Apart from the trees several metres around them and the dirt beneath their feet. There was seemingly nothing in the area. Goodwitch turned toward Ozpin with a confused expression.

"This IS the area shown by the compass, correct?" Asked Goodwitch, with a form of doubt she would have shown to nobody but Ozpin. He simply took the compass out and looked at it.

"Yes, indeed it is. Do not fret, Glynda, the artefact is here. We simply have to look for it."

"With all due respect sir, there is clearly nothing here."

"With all due respect Glynda, I have told you many times to call me Ozpin. Now think Glynda. There is quite obviously something covering the artefact." His calm, collected demeanour hadn't changed at all.

Goodwitch thought for a moment, then mentally slapped herself. She removed the light on her wand with a simple gesture, then performed another one, making a purple mist emit from the wand. The dirt around them slowly rose. Bit by bit, grain by grain, the dirt shifted toward the side of the clearing, with the purple mist becoming stronger. Ozpin and Goodwitch were left standing on an isolated island overlooking the newly formed terrain. The mist dispersed. It looked as though an excavation team had carefully dug out the area, as it was so neat and tidy. Neat and tidy was how Goodwitch preferred to do anything.(Except the merciless killing of monsters, obviously.)

The duo carefully descended the last remaining mound of dirt, neither of them wanting stains on their clothes. Honestly, Goodwitch didn't even want to go to the forest, but she also didn't want to turn down the Headmasters' request to join him. Obviously, the Headmaster was capable of defending himself, she thought, as she glanced at his cane which concealed a weapon, but if anything did happen to him, the entire school would be in turmoil. Besides, Ozpin was one of the few people she considered a friend. If he was hurt, or worse, she couldn't live with the guilt.

And so Goodwitch found herself with Ozpin in the crater she had created. Trickles of dirt from the side of the hole were creeping in, but neither were focused on what was on the outside. They were focused on their goal, which was now in plain sight. It shone with a bright light, a light so bright Goodwitch didn't even need her wand. They approached it cautiously, with Ozpin more eager than his companion. As Ozpin reached the source of the light, he bent down, observing it.

What they had found, was what was best described as a feather. Although it had the characteristics of a feather, its unearthly silver light and the way it shimmied in response to Ozpins' keen glare made it seem more like a living thing than an inanimate object. Goodwitch was now looking at the feather with interest, although she was trying to figure out which question she should ask the Headmaster first.

"Why would such an object be buried here? In this clearing? In this forest?" She finally asked after breaking eye contact with the wondrous item.

"I assume that somebody was desperate to rid themselves of the object. Nothing could be buried here without somebody or something's help. And because there have been no monster would be smart enough to bury something like this, I assume this was the work of a human."

"Logically, that is sound. But the question is why. If a person were to know that this feather contained some sort of power, surely they would keep it for themselves. And also, if the burying was done by a human, surely it would make sense that this person lives near the area. After all, nobody from any other kingdoms would travel all the way to this forest to bury it. The logical conclusion is that they live at beacon Academy."

Glynda was now pacing around the feather, hardly talking to Ozpin anymore, and simply allowing the questions and mysteries and deductions to flow from her mouth without pause. Ozpin simply picked up the feather, not worried in the slightest about what sort of side effects touching the artefact may cause. After all, he came into contact with dangerous items on a regular basis. What harm could holding one more do?

Goodwitch finally stopped her incoherent ramblings, and turned her attention to the feather now in Ozpins' hand. In the distance, roars and cries belonging to various creatures could be heard. She would prefer not to waste time with wild beasts right now. Ozpin could seemingly read her mind, as he tucked the feather into his pocket, and gestured his friend to follow him. Goodwitch flicked her wand, and a pile of dirt at the bank of the crater cascaded before them, creating a path out. As they headed out of the crater, she unloaded one of the most important questions in her mind at Ozpin.

"Sir, what exactly does the Luminescent do?" she asked, indicating the feather that was protruding from Ozpins' breast pocket.

"Ozpin." Goodwitch was not amused with how Ozpin was constantly trying to make her use his actual name. He ignored the glare she was giving him.

"I'm afraid I don't know what powers the luminescent contains. As you know, artefacts can contain all sorts of powers. Some weak, others powerful. Some good, others evil. Extensive research will have to be done to determine what this item does."

Goodwitch could sense that the headmaster was not telling the truth. He must have at least partially known the capabilities the luminescent contained. After all, what could be the purpose of coming this far in complete darkness, in complete secrecy, to collect the artefact if it served no purpose? Still, it was useless to ask again. If the headmaster wanted to keep it's purpose a secret, she had no right to ask further. She would have to trust his judgment, just like when she trusted his decision to allow Ruby Rose into Beacon Academy, or that laughable Jaune Arc.

Indeed, whatever secret Ozpin was hiding, it was his secret alone.

And now, they quickened their pace on the way back to Beacon Academy, where the students slept, not knowing what kind of burden would be placed upon them because of the Luminescent.


	2. Chapter 1- A Fresh New Day

Chapter 1 – A fresh new day

Author's note- It only just occurred to me halfway through writing that I could write an author's note. Anyways, when I was writing the prologue, I was only writing the first things that came to my head. I was only writing it to practice my writing skills, and when a few hours after submitting the prologue, I found out that people actually want to continue reading this thing. Well, if even one person wants me to continue writing this, then I'm happy to oblige. I could do with the practice anyway.

*Poke*

…

*Poke*

…

*Poke* *Poke* *Poke*

"NORA!"

Lie Ren awoke from his slumber, and turned in his bed to stare up at the girl who was still poking him in the shoulder. He brushed the magenta streak of hair out of his eye before speaking.

"Nora, what are you doing?"

The brunette simply smiled and poked him again.

"Poking you."

*Poke*

"Why?"

*Poke*

"Because it's fun to poke a sleepy head like you awake."

*Poke*

"A-Alright, I'll wake up. Just STOP!" He snapped, becoming uncharacteristically angry.

"GREAT! Lessons start soon, ya' know, and I don't think Professor Port would appreciate either of us being late because YOU keep sleeping."

Professor Port. The name of the teacher whose lessons would make him fall back to sleep. He may as well just stay in bed, because even Blake Belladonna had trouble paying attention to his lessons. It suddenly occurred to Lie that Nora used the words "either of us."

"Why would you be late if you're up and so eager to attend class?" He asked out of curiosity. Nora gave a mischievous smile.

"Because if YOU go back to bed, I'll have to take upon the courageous task of doing THIS!."

Nora suddenly pounced on Lie and poked his face several times without pause. Not that Lie didn't like the idea of a pretty girl like Nora jumping on him, but the entire "face poking" thing was getting on his nerves.

"Look, Nor-"

*Poke*

"I told you-"

*Poke*

"I swear to God-"

*Poke*

"GODDAMNIT, STOP ALREADY!"

Lie swiftly threw Nora off the bed, jumped onto his feet and stormed into the bathroom. Nora's smile remained. Lie probably wasn't THAT angry with her. In her mind, being friends with someone for several years entitled her to annoy that friend to a certain degree. Besides, Lie had known what he was getting into all those years ago when they first met. Being friends with her was like a contract. A contract that she makes people sign without telling them the terms and conditions and then annoys those people. Lie was just the first ever person to unknowingly sign that contract.

Still, Nora makes sure she never goes too far when annoying people, as she never wanted to lose any of her friends. Except when it came to Lie. He was just too much fun to tease.

Jaune wasn't having a brilliant start to the day either. How did it start? By being punched in the face by Pyrrha.

As Jaune rolled out of bed this morning, dreary eyed, he had begun to work his way to the bathroom. He failed to notice that Pyrrha was already out of bed.

Although there were many perks, in Jaune's mind, of living in a dormitory with members of the opposite sex, it also had its down sides. Specifically, the girls spent a lot more time in the bathroom, doing whatever the hell girls did in there. Probably make-up or something. When Jaune woke up, surprisingly early, he thought it would be safe to use the bathroom, as there was no way either of the girls would be awake at this time.

He was wrong.

When he walked into the bathroom, he noticed that the mirrors were quite steamy, and, for some reason, he could hear running water. The sound of water stopped with a squeaking turn of a dial, then the shower door opened. Jaune was frozen on the spot. Pyrrha walked out of the shower… completely naked.

It would have been a good idea for Jaune to run out of the bathroom as soon as the shower door opened, but no. Jaune barely had time to acknowledge what he was seeing before Pyrrha suddenly dashed forward and completely and utterly punched him to the ground, leaving a large red mark on his nose. He couldn't really remember anything after that, except that Pyrrha may have screamed the word "pervert" before he blacked out.

When he awoke later, he was still on the bathroom floor, being woken up by Lie, who was wandering what happened to him. He didn't dare tell anyone what had happened, out of fear of Pyrrha finishing him off. And so, Lie and Nora were left wandering why the two didn't speak to each other for the rest of the day, and why Jaune had a bandage on his nose. When they asked Jaune later, he simply stated that he just had bad luck with women.

For Blake, the start of the fresh new day had also involved being punched in the face, although for an entirely different reason.

Blake was the first to wake up, as usual, but stayed in bed for a while reading a book before actually getting ready for the day. It was 30 minutes before their lessons started and she decided she had read enough, so went to the bathroom to get ready. Five minutes later, she was out and dressed in her uniform, along with her trademark bow.

25 minutes before their lessons, Weiss was next to wake up. They both exchanged simple "good mornings" to each other, and Weiss went to the bathroom to get ready. Another 5 minutes, Weiss was now dressed in her uniform.

There were now only 20 minutes before the lesson started, but Ruby and Yang showed no signs of waking up.

The duo who were awake glanced at each other, wandering what they should do. Although neither of them spoke, it was obvious that they already had a difference of opinions.

"I'm going to the cafeteria for breakfast." Weiss said bluntly, and headed for the door.

"W-Wait, shouldn't we wake them first?" Blake replied quickly, before Weiss had escaped.

"If you wish to do so, then be my guest." Weiss shouted as she turned the corner, disappearing from view.

Blake was left in the room with the snoring pair. Blake would feel just a little bit guilty if they overslept and were late for lesson. She quietly climbed the ladder of the left-hand bed, and nudged Ruby. She did nothing. Blake nudged her again, to no effect. It was a lost cause. She climbed the ladder of the other bunk bed, and pushed Yangs' shoulder. She also did nothing. This was ridiculous. She pushed her shoulder with more force this time.

"Yang, you need to wake-"

*WHAM!*

Blake barely had time to react as the side of Yang's fist suddenly hid Blake in the side of the head, knocking her off the top of the ladder and clattering onto the bedside cabinet. Various objects like a clock, some books and glass of water were knocked off with a large degree of noise.

Blake, barely able to keep her cool demeanour, put the objects back onto the table, and looked back at the top of the bed bunk. Yang was still snoring. She was still asleep. Blake could hardly believe that Yang had punched her in her sleep without even waking up to acknowledge it. What kind of weird dreams did Yang have?

It wasn't worth trying to wake the pair if a risk of injury was involved. She simply walked out of the room to join Weiss in the cafeteria, rubbing her cheek. They wouldn't miss out on much if they were late to Professor Ports' lesson anyway.

"GET UP GET UP GET UP!"

Ruby woke to the sound of her sister shouting in her ear and being violently shaken.

"BREAKFASTS ALMOST OVER! COME ON ALREADY!"

Ruby was now wide awake in panic, although it wasn't breakfast she was worried about. If she ended up late to lessons she would probably get a detention, although this depended on the teacher. If her first lesson was with Professor Goodwitch, she was, quite frankly, screwed. And time spent in detention could be time spent doing anything she actually liked.

"Wait, er, who's lessons do we have?"

"Professor Port." Ruby could barely hear Yang say as she saw her throw her school uniform on. Ruby gave a sigh of relief. Nobody could take Professor Port seriously, although she had once seen Weiss and him talking together. Oddly, that was the same day Weiss had told her that she would be a better team mate. It was also the same night Ruby first tried Weiss' coffee, which was pretty damn good.

Although there was no rush to go to Professor Ports' lesson, she still wanted to go to the cafeteria as quick as humanly possible. It closed as soon as lessons began, and if you didn't get there in time, you would have nothing to eat until dinner time. And a hungry Ruby was a cranky Ruby.

She quickly leapt off of her bed and snatched up her clothes which were (as Weiss always pointed out) strewn across the floor. Say what you want about being unhygienic, but having your clothes in an arms reach was better than going ALL the way over to the wardrobe to get them.

Yang was already dressed, and stood by the door, jumping up and down, waiting for Ruby to get dressed. As soon as she was, Yang grabbed her arm and they bolted out of the room, leaving the door half open. As they sprinted down the corridor, Yang exclaimed:

"Why didn't those two jerks try to wake us?"

Authors' note- I don't think this chapter is as strong as the prologue, but the purpose of it, for me, was to try and nail down every characters' personalities. I'll try and do something more exciting next chapter. Ciao.


	3. Chapter 2-Trapped like a cow

Chapter 2- Trapped like a cow

Author' note- My thanks go to the chaps/ chappettes who gave the reviews last chapter. I made some slight changes to how I wrote Pyrrha, Blake and Ren, although I'm still a slight bit unsure of how they ended up this time. Time (and reviews) will only tell.

Grumbling could be heard from Ruby and Yang as they sank into their seats next to Weiss and Blake. As it turned out, they were indeed too late for breakfast. So late, in fact, that the cafeteria was completely empty by the time they arrived. And so, they had no choice but to shuffle to class, hungry and annoyed. Weiss couldn't help but quietly laugh. Although she had been friendlier to her team as of late, she still enjoyed seeing them suffer… just a little bit, of course.

As Yang sat down between Blake and Weiss, however, there was something already on her desk in tin foil. As she unwrapped it, she found 2 pieces of toast inside. Blake gave her a quick glance and a smile before turning back to the front of the class, without a word, before Yang had a chance to say thank you. Yang got Ruby's attention and passed her a slice of toast, which she quickly crammed into her mouth and swallowed without even chewing. How did she even do that?

As Blake's gaze wandered back to the front of the class, she noticed 2 crates at the side of the room, just below. One was empty, with it's door open, but the other had a cloth over it. Not only that, but it appeared to be rattling. No doubt Professor Port was planning on having somebody kill whatever creature was inside.

Team JNPR were seated at the back of the class. It was impossible to miss Jaune, considering that his nose was making an annoying squeaking noise every time he breathed in. Ren and Nora were having a weird conversation about the noises certain animals make, so Pyrrha saw it as a perfect time to talk to Jaune.

"Jaune… I am quite sorry about punching you in such a way…but you should have considered the fact that anybody could have been in the bathroom. It was rather inconsiderate to simply walk in like that."

Jaune hardly heard what Pyrrha had said. He was more focused on trying to scratch his nose, which was almost impossible with the bandage on.

"Nope. Nope, you're right. Just…" Jaunes' voice was an octave higher than usual, an annoying side effect of an almost broken nose. "… Why did you HAVE to punch me? I mean, y' know, I WAS about to leave, but you didn't even give me a chance…"

Pyrrha suddenly turned to face him, as though he had told her that Pumpkin Pete's marshmallow flakes were perfectly healthy.

"No Jaune, you were NOT leaving. You simply stood there and stared at me. Was I supposed to allow that?"

"No, but you sure weren't supposed to break my nose." He said, sounding defeated. Jaune didn't bother getting angry. Getting angry wasn't something he was good at. Maybe he didn't try to leave the bathroom as quickly as he had thought. He knew she was in the right, even if she was slightly excessive. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the day.

Despite the fact that he was leader of team JNPR, Jaune was almost incapable of being a dominant person. It just wasn't in his nature to try and command others, and as such he was often walked upon. Although…

Jaune thought to himself for a moment. He didn't really have to be a dominant person, did he? Seriously, these guys actually listened to him a few times! There was that time in the emerald forest where they fought the Death stalker. Sure it kicked their ass to start with, (Well, it kicked HIS ass) but when the team were together and fighting, they actually took orders from him to defeat it.

Yeah… he actually wasn't that bad! Who needs to be a dominant person when you can command a team of badass fighters like Pyrrha, Nora and Ren in battle? Damn, he wasn't giving himself enough credit! Now was the time for Jaune to be more confident! Now was the time for-

"Hey, Vomit Boy, will you for the love of GOD shove something up your nose?" A member of team CRDL had turned around and shouted at him from the front of the class.

"S-Sorry…" Jaune suddenly slinked back into his chair, and put a pencil up his left nostril to try and stop the squeaking noise, which was now annoying everybody in the room. It was nice to feel cool for a moment, he supposed.

It had been another two minutes before Professor Port finally arrived, who, for some reason, was sweating profusely. Clearly this self- proclaimed brilliant huntsmen wasn't as energetic as he perhaps once was.

Almost as soon as he was at the front of the class he dropped into the chair behind his desk. Professor Port was a fairly tall and rounded man, with greying hair, constantly squinting eyes and one of the greatest moustaches Ruby had ever seen. Despite the pure awesomeness that 'stache contained, it wasn't enough for her to pay attention to him in lesson, as the man loved to boast about his past achievements. Ruby had always liked stories of heroes, but the professor somehow made them boring. He had even had a gold bust of himself on his desk, as if he were shouting to the class, "Look at the hero I used to be!"

If there was just one thing Ruby liked about him, other than the 'stache, it was his weapon. Leaning on the side of the desk, in plain sight, was his "blunderaxe", the awesome combination of an old fashioned blunderbuss rifle and a two handed axe. It was a shame that the professor only used it open cages, as she would have loved to see that thing in action… although, wasn't it a bit impractical to have the barrel of the gun as the handle for the axe?

"Ah, yes, greetings my fellow hunters and huntresses! My sincerest apologies for my lateness, *Gasp* but my dear friend Headmaster Ozpin had assigned me a task of which I could not have refused, for it was a task of utmost importance."

Port stopped to catch his breath again, then stood from his chair, almost toppling it over.

"But do not fear, my students! I am here now, and today I shall be teaching you the basics of capturing the Grimm, capturing the very beasts that pose a threat to all outside the safety of our 4 kingdoms."

For just a brief moment, Ruby stopped doodling on her notebook and looked up. In that same moment, everybody in the class looked at the professor.

"Oh, finally interested now, are we?" The professor grinned, although it was difficult to see under his moustache. He started to pace back and forth across the front of the class, his arms behind his back, his head slightly angled up.

"That's right, my students. Today, I shall be showing you to ensnare those beasts, and keep them trapped like a cow in a hole."

This caused some confused faces from the class. What kind of weirdo traps cows in holes?

"Now, I should warn you my friends, that the art of capturing your foes is no small feat. Even I, who has trapped many beasts for the purpose of teaching you how to defeat them, can find the task arduous." He swerved on his feet to face the class.

"It would not, to say the least, look good on my record if any of my students were to die in the process of trapping a monster. HOWEVER!"

The students were suddenly paying attention to the professor as he snapped the last word.

"You all have a team with which to rely on, and rely on them you shall need to do. Teamwork is of paramount importance when engaging in the act. You certainly are fortunate to have the luxury of a team. Why, back when I was a young and handsome aspiring trainee hunter, I had no choice but to take on beasts with nothing but my tenacity and blunderaxe. We were also trained at night, when the beasts ran rampart, but none could stand up to…"

It was a few minutes before the Professor had stopped rambling. Nora had made several paper airplanes in the meantime, and was trying to throw as many as possible before the Professor stopped. Weiss was attempting to write down whatever the Professor said, but stopped when she realised that it was just more feats of heroism. Although she wasn't too interested in these stories, she was more surprised that Ruby wasn't paying attention. Didn't she say that she loved stories of heroes, and how she aspired to be one?

"And now, the time has come." The Professor grabbed the empty cage from the side of the room and hoisted it to the other side with a grunt.

"Two brave, daring volunteers will be needed. Who among you has the courage to trap the beast in this cage…" With a hand gesture, he indicated the rattling crate that was still covered with a cloth. "…in the empty cage?"

Weiss' hand shot into the air. (Although with a split second of doubt, as she didn't know who the other volunteer would be.)

"Ah, Weiss, I knew that such a bright pupil would seize a chance like this! Come stand next to me, my girl."

Weiss obliged, reached into her bag and pulled out the Myrtenaster, her weapon of choice. She quickly checked the barrel of the rapier. Several white crystals were loaded into it. That should be all she needed. With her head high and her walk confident, she joined the professor. When she reached the front of the class, she looked around, wondering who her partner would be.

From the looks of it, nobody. Everybody was trying to keep their heads down, not wanting to be picked.

"Well, Weiss, why don't you just pick somebody to join you?"

Weiss felt a mix between giddy and contemplative. On one hand, she had control over who would join her. On the other, she needed to be smart about her choice. The aim was to move a wild beast from one cage to the other, preferably without being killed or injured. If she picked someone who was fast, like Ren, they could easily outrun and lure the monster to the cage. If she picked somebody stronger, like Yang, they could forcibly move the monster, where Weiss could force it into the cage using dust.

She looked around the room, deciding who would be best…Jaune had a pencil in his nose, for some reason... and her gaze rested on her partner.

"Blake, I choose you."

Blake looked up, surprised that Weiss had chosen her. The one advantage of wearing dark colours was that you harder to spot in a crowd. Clearly that didn't work as intended.

It wasn't that she was shy. It also wasn't that Blake disliked working with others; In fact, she quite enjoyed being in team RWBY, even going as far as cheering on her team from time to time( Although a part of her did it to just annoy Weiss.). It was actually just the fact that she didn't like being the centre of attention. She was worried that someone might end up finding out too much about her. After all, she had a few secrets she preferred nobody to find out about. That's why she preferred to sit and read instead of socialising.

Blake grabbed the gambol shroud out of her bag, a deadly katana with a bladed pistol attached by a strong, flexible wire. After joining Weiss, the two looked towards the professor, expecting some tips on how to trap monsters. They were both stunned to see that he was already lifting the cloth off of the cage. A part of the monster could already be seen. More specifically, its eyes could be seen. All 8 of them.

"This, my students, is the Diabelic, a fierce monster with the fastest known healing rate of any monsters. Now, I shall leave it to you two to devise of plan of action. Learning is best done without the guidance of others, after all! Have at you!" The professor swung down his mighty axe with a single hand, shattering the lock.

The creature was nothing like they had been expecting. It was, give or take, the size of the boarbatusk Weiss had once fought in this lesson, but its proportions were completely different. Two legs at a time, it crawled out of the cage onto full view. It was easily the ugliest monster they had seen yet. Its face was comprised of silver fur, with 4 red eyes on each side, and a single, silver horn directly in the centre of it. 2 large ears pointed up from the top of its head, which were slightly swivelling to the side, trying to pick up on any noises. Its entire body was bristling with murky green and silver fur, and had 8 legs, similar to that of a spider. It's entire being seemed mismatched, like a cruel joke played on it by evolution.

Weiss and Blake looked at each other, wandering what the "plan of action" was. Weiss was first to speak.

"You distract it. I'll flank it!" Blake nodded and detached the pistol from the sword, throwing it like a boomerang towards the monster, as it cut into the Diabelics' flesh, the pistol came back to her, reattaching to the sword. The injury caused didn't even cause it to flinch, much less take notice of Blake. Instead, its ears twisted towards Weiss' direction, who was running around to its side. With a growl, it turned its body towards Weiss, its perky ears having picked up on her footsteps. It started to dash towards her, it's 8 legs giving it perfect control over it's direction.

Weiss almost didn't notice the Diabelic turn, as she assumed Blakes' attack was enough to distract it. She quickly raised her rapier and made a quick hand gesture, making a white rune appear in front of her, a strong surface that could deflect practically any attack. Unfortunately, the Diabelic seemed smarter than its brethren. It stopped it's charge when it saw the rune, and looked back towards Blake, calculating it's next move. It stood between them, waiting for the duo to make their move.

It was Weiss who went first, choosing to dash towards the 8-eyed monster at a blinding speed, with her rapier poised. Blake was slightly annoyed by this. They needed to be methodical with the intelligent beast, not offensive. Weiss sliced the Diabelics' side before it could react, but cried out in surprise when it lashed out with it's horn, hardly affected by the cut, which had already healed by the time Weiss had recovered. The monster continued with it's attack, trying to gore her down, while she made several steps back, trying to keep out of it's range.

Blake fired with her pistol normally, which was unusual considering her fighting style never really used her pistol like a normal person. The Diabelic turned towards Blake, while its gunshot wounds healed almost as soon as they were caused. It now decided that Blake was its more immediate threat. This was what the duo needed. But they didn't expect the beast to act so quickly. As Blake was about to shout to Weiss to ram it into the cage with dust, it leaped using the full force of it's eight legs, closing the distance between them almost instantly. Blake quickly raised her sword to deflect it's horn, but was thrown back, almost ending up in the cage itself.

Weiss took this chance to form a rune beneath her feet, and glided over to the Diabelic gracefully but quickly, ramming her sword into it's spine with all her might. It slid on the spot, as it recognised that they were trying to force it back into the cage. Back into captivity. Not again. It couldn't bear to be back in the cage again. It was about a single metre away now, and it tried to resist against with all it's might.

Now the one in black was helping the girl in white. They were shoving against her. It wasn't fair. All the Diabelic wanted to do was see its child, which was now motherless, because these humans were forcing her into captivity. Why was it let out of one cage just be pushed into another one? Just for the amusement of these humans? Just so they practice killing its kind? Why?

Weiss and Blake gave a final grunt, and the Diabelic was back in a cage, where it freakin' belonged, some members of the class thought. How could a monster as ugly as that even be conceived? Blake lifted the cover of the cage and forced the latch onto it, sealing the monster which let out a harrowing cry. They had managed to subdue the beast.

"Well done, indeed, well done! An excellent performance for your first try, indeed!" Professor Port congratulated the pair, while Ruby and Yang loudly cheered for them. Many members of the class were also clapping.

Weiss and Blake were leaning on the cage, gasping for breath. That thing REALLY didn't want to be in the cage. They walked back to their seats, feeling a little proud of themselves. Although their teamwork needed some improvement, Blake thought that working with Weiss wasn't too bad at all. Weiss thought similarly, although she believed that working in a 4 was easily more practical.

"And now that you all see just how dangerous the art of capturing your prey is, I have an assignment for your teams!" The professor exclaimed, while everybody looked at him, annoyed. They would actually get assignments from him?

Your goal for the next week, before our next lesson, is to take an empty cage found in the storeroom, 1 for each team, head into the Emerald Forest, and capture any beast you can find. I'm sure that you can all do it. After all, if just 2 people can do, then an entire team should have no trouble at all!"

Some students seem excited by the idea, while others groaned. Looks like a trip to the Emerald Forest was in order.

Author's note- For those of you that don't understand the "trapped like a cow" joke, Professor Port's voice actor is Ryan Haywood, one of the achievement Hunters.

And if you still don't get it, you should watch AH's Minecraft Lets plays. Au Revoir!


	4. Chapter 3- A crystal lobbing lunatic

Chapter 3- a crystal lobbing lunatic

Author's note- Hey, look! Plot progression!

Night fell upon the land of Vytal. Shop owners within the bustling kingdom of Vale put up signs to show that they were closed for the day. People were wandering the streets, eager to get home. Soon enough, the streets were empty, and silence was all that remained. It was just another night.

Except for a single boy. This night was incredibly important to him. Not just to him, but also to the group he represented. He wandered down various alleys, trying his best to keep out of the various dust- powered street lights. The shadows completely covered him. Although the town was now empty, he couldn't risk being seen by a single soul. If anything tonight went wrong, he could be imprisoned, he could be even be killed. But despite this, he needed to accomplish his mission. For his group.

He came to a stop at a harbour, where various ships were docked. The meeting place. Several simple brick buildings opposed the water on the other side of the harbour, and many crates were recklessly placed by the ships, as though the owners didn't care if they were stolen or not. The broken moon looked down upon him. The moon would be the only witness of what would happen here tonight.

Suddenly, as though out of thin air, a sliver hybrid of a plane and helicopter came into view. Despite its fairly large size, it made very little noise as it descended upon the boy. Its lights were off; a very risky manoeuvre when attempting to land. But despite this, the helicopter slowly rested on the ground. The pilot was clearly an expert. Its rotors came to a halt almost instantly, as though they were never even turning. The door on its side opened.

Completely the opposite of what one might expect from a helicopter pilot, a sophisticated looking gentleman in a white suit and a dark bowler hat strode out of the helicopter. He carried with him a cane in one hand, and suitcase in the other. On closer inspection, he was quite effeminate looking, as his eyes were covered in black eyeliner and his eye lashes were longer than most men would prefer. He flicked the orange bang out of his dark green eye, although it repositioned itself right in front of it again.

"Salutations, Hoods. Broken any more bones lately?" The white suited man sneered. The boy was barely visible in the darkness.

The boy he called "Hoods" was indeed wearing a dark coat with a hood, which he kept up. His left arm was also in a cast, hidden under the coat. However, you would be likely to miss this in the darkness that enveloped him. The boy took a step forward. He was suddenly very cautious, as he never met this man directly, only over his mobile phone. And he certainly didn't mention anything about his broken arm.

"It's Katil. And you're Torchwick?" Katil spoke out to him. He had a rather serious tone to his voice.

"Indeed it is, Kats. Why don't you come over here so I can get a good look at you, hmm?"

Katil was apprehensive, but he obliged Torchwick. He needed to put up with him until he got the suitcase. He lowered his hood, hoping it would get the man to trust him a bit more. As he did, he heard the scuttling of feet around him. It would have been impossible for a normal human to hear them, but Katil wasn't a standard human.

Katil was, as agreed by many people, quite a handsome boy. His brown, short hair complimented his even browner eyes and his tanned complexion struck Torchwick as somebody who clearly didn't come from the frozen wastelands of Vale. His dark coat seemed out of place, as he clearly only wore it to try and remain hidden, as well as hide his arm. The trousers he wore resembled that of the military's, which had a dark green leaf pattern down the sides.

However, none of these came close to being the most iconic part of Katil, as on top of his head were a pair of brown cat ears. Considering this feature, it was no surprise that he preferred to keep his hood up, as his race, the Fauna, were often discriminated against. It was just another reason why he preferred to stay hidden. And yet, here he was, co-operating with a criminal.

"Well, it must be said that I didn't expect you to be a Fauna, Kitty Kat."

"It must be said that I wasn't expecting you to keep up your end of the deal. And judging from the sounds of your clumsy-footed henchmen, you didn't."

Torchwick made an exaggerated expression of shock, as though he were offended.

"Whatever do you mean? I have what you want right here." He thrusted the suitcase forward, offering it to Katil. As Katil reached out for it, Torchwick pulled it back.

"Not until you give ME what I want."

Katil sighed. This guy was a bit of a jerk. He reached into his coat with his right arm, and pulled out an envelope.

"This has all the information about the artefacts you want. The Luminescent, the Shattered Mirror, it's all here, straight from the best contacts I could find."

Torchwick looked satisfied. They both switched items at the same time, although it was more accurate to say that Torchwick snatched the envelope while almost dropping the case into Katils' hands.

Both people looked inside their objects at the same time. Katil opened up the case quickly, as he knew that Torchwick was about to be extremely angry, to say the least. Inside the case was, to his surprise, everything he had asked for. Crystals. All sorts of different coloured crystals were inside, although there were more white crystals than any other colour. How stupid was this criminal that he would actually hand over the crystals to somebody he hardly knew, let alone trusted?

"You double crossing SWINE!" Torchwick screeched, as he suddenly pointed his cane at the Fauna. The paper he retrieved out of the envelope was completely blank. He dropped the paper and clicked his fingers. On this signal, several bodyguards appeared from various hiding places. 2 of them even dropped out of a nearby boat. Katil was still looking at the contents of the case, as though the humans didn't even matter. The top of Torchwick's cane flipped open to form a scope, although it was unnecessary at this range.

"This conversation has been quite pleasant, Kitty, but I'm afraid I can't let a double crossing freak of nature like you live."

Torchwick didn't expect the Faunas' next move. Katil burst out laughing, completely contrary to how serious he had been earlier.

"Yeah RIGHT! C'mon Torchy, you really think a pea shooter and a group of dumbasses could hurt ME!? Get real!"

Nobody had expected Katil to act like this. Was the serious personality he was showing earlier just a façade? It must have been, as even somebody with the most serious case of split personality couldn't change so suddenly.

Katil gave a large grin and closed the case.

"Yup, that's right, Torchy! You actually got tricked! How does it feel to be COMPLETELY humiliated?"

Torchwick snapped. He didn't need to put up with this.

*BANG*

He expected to see the corpse of the Fauna, but was surprised to see nothing. Katil had moved faster than (literally) humanly possible, and circled around him. Katil lashed out with a twist kick, slamming his foot into Torchwicks' side, and sent him flying onto his face. He looked up at his henchmen, who were standing and staring blankly with knifes and machetes in hand.

"Well, GET HIM!"

They jumped to attention and charged the Fauna. It only had 1 working arm. How could they possibly lose?

Katil hardly bothered reacting to the first bodyguard, who tried to stab his face with a knife. He simply tilted his head to the left, and the knife went straight past him. He slammed the bodyguard in the gut with the case of crystals. As the guard crumpled to the ground, he kicked him in the face, knocking him unconscious. There were 7 guards left.

3 guards rushed him at the same time, swinging their machetes wildly, trying desperately to land a hit on the Fauna. This was rather unfair. Maybe he should even the odds, courtesy of the gifts Torchwick had given him.

He took a large leap backwards, distancing himself from the guards, and put the case on the ground, opening it. He took out a shimmering cyan crystal. The 3 guards now seemed scared, and rightly so. Katil simply threw the crystal towards the group, which immediately tried to flee, but to no avail. The crystal exploded on impact, creating a cluster of ice which froze them by the ankles. They tried their best to break the ice, but the next crystal was already flying towards them, this one bright orange. As it shattered, it created a bright light, which had the effect of a concussion grenade that the police force used. The guards clutched their heads, groaning, before falling unconscious, still attached to the ice shards below.

Torchwick was now making his retreat, victory practically impossible considering that the lunatic had access to powerful crystals. He stumbled into the plane, thinking that he perhaps should have realised that something like this was inevitable. Last night, he had researched this individual, although what he found didn't mention him being a Fauna. Katil had been rather active lately, making a name for himself among certain people in the criminal underworld. He had been making deals with various sources to acquire crystals, but after meeting him in person, Torchwick was confused.

Why would a Fauna be after crystals, he wondered? Torchwick decided it wasn't worth thinking about. What good could come from understanding the lesser mind of a Fauna?

There were only 4 guards left, and they seemed to have learnt a lesson from watching their friends being taken out at the same time. They separated into groups of 2, and tried to trap Katil from both sides. He watched them, amused. He never knew that thugs had basic intelligence.

The case was still at his feet, with various colours shining brightly. He casually reached down and picked up a blue crystal. The 2 guards nearest to the ocean were about to get wet. He lazily tossed the crystal towards them. This one shattered in mid-air as opposed to breaking on impact, and a rune appeared in its place. A tidal wave of water spurred forth from it, and the 2 guards were immediately engulfed in the stream which continued all the way to the edge of the harbour, washing the guards into the sea. Katil chuckled and reached for a white crystal. His personal favourite.

The remaining 2 guards were now upon Katil, these ones with a knuckle duster in each hand. They attempted to jab him, but he made rapid dodges around them, keeping his eyes on their fists. One of the guards put all of his effort into a right hook, which barely whipped Katils' hair. Now the other guard attacked as his friend rebalanced himself, jumping into the air and bringing his fist down, attempting to smash Katils head. He circled around the jumping guard, leaving the case of crystals on the ground, which were almost completely destroyed by the attack.

Now was the time. Katil raised his right hand which held the white crystal, and smashed his fist into the ground. The crystal shattered, creating a large white rune which engulfed the 2 guards, with himself at the centre. After a split second, gravity inside the runes area seemed to turn upside down, sending the guards almost 15 metres into the air, but keeping Katil perfectly still. He didn't bother following up the guards with another attack; the fall was enough to finish them off. They both landed gracelessly, potentially breaking some bones. With a final groan, they were unconscious.

With his keen ears, Katil could hear Torchwick shouting to somebody.

"Stop him! Personally, I'd prefer not to be the target of a crystal lobbing lunatic!"

Katil turned around, and saw that the helicopter was already taking off. He quickly reached for his case, which still had plenty of crystals inside. He pulled out a cyan crystal, planning to freeze the rotors of the vehicle. However, as he was taking aim, he saw a silhouette appear from the still-open door.

A woman was in view. He didn't even now she was present throughout the entire ordeal until now. Shadow completely enveloped her, obscuring her face. The only details Katil could make out were an outlandish dress and high heels, with some kind of anklet. The woman raised her hand, and Katil instinctively had a bad feeling.

Several orange circles appeared around him, one directly underneath him. He leaped out of it, and pillars of flame rose around him. What the hell was that? Powdered Dust? Aura? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to stand around and take it!

With the cyan crystal in his one working hand, he abandoned the case and dashed forward, trying to gain some velocity. He threw the crystal with all his might, aiming for one of the rotors. He watched with satisfaction as it flew threw the air, on course with it's target, but his face dropped when he saw what happened next.

The shining crystal stopped in mid-air. The woman had her hand raised toward it. Whatever power she was using, she used it to catch his only weapon. With a simple hand gesture, it flew back towards Katil. He dived for dear life, because if that crystal froze him, he was a goner.

It landed and shattered, creating a blanket of ice which stopped millimetres away from Katil, who gave a sigh of relief. But that sigh turned into a cry of horror when he saw the woman's plan.

An orange circle appeared around the case full of crystals. He knew full well what was about to happen. Katil was no stranger to the effects of crystals. They were his favourite toy. But he also knew just how deadly they could be if several broke at the same time. White crystals in particular, which were used for motion and impact, would send out an enormous shockwave of pure force when destroyed, and that case was about 50% full of them. Not to mention that the other coloured crystals would add all sorts of insane effects to the explosion.

The helicopter lifted into the sky, getting distance from the imminent explosion. Katil ran like a bat out of hell, because he knew that this would hurt. He almost felt sorry for the guards that were still near the case.

The pillar of flame rose, and the explosion, as Katil predicted, was immense. The light was blinding and the noise was deafening, which must have been an effect of another orange crystal. He was slammed into the wall of a nearby building, which almost crumbled. Katil closed his eyes against the light, his head pounding as he struggled to remain conscious. He could feel something wet splash across him, most likely a stream of water from a dark blue crystal.

Blake woke, startled. She could have sworn she just heard a noise, but when she looked around, absolutely nothing had happened. She sighed. She would never get to sleep again with Yang's snoring.

When he opened his eyes, the harbour was a complete mess. Windows had broken from the blast. A ship was on fire. Many walls from the nearby buildings had frozen over. The entire ground was covered in water which slowly trickled down the drains. He liked the crazy-as-hell effects of crystals, but he never saw a more chaotic scene in all his life. He picked himself up and inspected his broken arm, checking to see if any more damage had been done. Well, now that he thought about it, the only way his arm could be worse is if it were severed, which it wasn't, thankfully.

Although his perky ears were still ringing with the effects of the orange crystal, he could still make out noises in the background. Footsteps. Screaming. People crying out in surprise of what the hell just happened. The explosion must have the affected everything in a mile radius, and no doubt the police force were rushing to its source. He couldn't be here any longer, especially seeing as his leader wouldn't be patiently waiting for his report.

He spied a building with plenty of window frames and missing bricks. With an incredible amount of upper-body strength, he easily scaled the building with one hand, using a mixture of leaps and momentum. When he reached the top, he looked down on the humans, who had arrived on scene, some armed with batons and others with short swords. There was no need to hang around here.

As he jumped across the buildings with impressive speed, his mind casually wondered what his groups' next move would be. He was running out of people in the criminal underworld to trick, and this time, he didn't even get the crystals they were after. It was time for them to find another source of weaponry. It didn't matter where from. They just needed enough power to show that they weren't joking around.

No matter what, the Fauna would get their rights.

Headmaster Ozpin sat at a desk In the library of Beacon Academy. He was quite alone, all though this would probably be the case during the day as well. Did any of the students even know this Academy had a library? He decided to point it out the next time he addressed them.

The library was impressive, with several shelves crammed with books lining the large room. They were split into sections, ranging from education, to fiction, to encyclopaedias covering a range of monsters and battle tactics.

He was scribbling the contents of a book onto a piece of paper. The cover of the book read "A history of the Shining Artefacts." He paused for a brief moment to take a sip from his mug. As he did so, he noticed someone over the rim of his glasses. He put the mug down and adjusted his glasses. He couldn't actually believe that somebody else was in the library, and at night, no less.

It was Blake Belladonna, the rather mellow girl from team RWBY. She was picking a book from the education section, titled "The Diabelic, an evolutionary success or failure?" Far be it for Ozpin to interrupt a student when they were learning, but there was, unfortunately, a curfew in place. All students needed to be inside their dormitories when the sun came down. Who knows what kind of dangers lurk in the darkness? He closed his book, picked up his mug, and walked over to her.

Blake had sat down at a table on the other side of the room, absorbed in her book. It turns out that the Diabelic has a low mortality rate among their children. There was also the fact that over 80% of the species were female, due to a defective gene that has been spreading with each generation. It all combined into a low population rate which was getting lower every day. Humanity would soon be rid of the scourge. Although, there were still many more monsters out there that weren't doomed to extinction yet.

"Doing some late-night research, I see."

Blake looked up, snapped out of her reading and quickly closed the book. It was Headmaster Ozpin, still dressed in his typical clothes and holding his trademark mug. She didn't know what to say, as she knew that the curfew was placed by the headmaster himself. He started to talk again.

"I may be the only one who believes this, but I believe the imminent extinction of the Diabelic is actually a bad thing." Blake was surprised that he hadn't reprimanded her, and started a conversation instead.

"Why do you believe that, Sir?" Ozpin took a sip from his mug before he continued.

"As Professor Port should have taught by now, the Diabelic has an incredible healing rate. Complete wounds are healed in a matter of seconds, and their blood is a known cure for many poisons. For certain poisons, it is the ONLY cure. If it were to die out, many would die as a result of no antidotes being available."

Blake listened, fascinated, when she realised that this piece of knowledge wasn't even in the book. Ozpin continued.

"Various writers and authors twist the truth when it comes to writing books on the Grimm, sadly. Our Government monitors all non-fiction books, and "edits" them if need be. Of course, I'm referring to how the Grimm can actually help us in many ways, but they prefer to portray them as complete monsters. I suppose this is true, to an extent, but if the Grimm were wiped out, it would cause many problems for humanity."

Upon hearing this, a question occurred to Blake.

"Sir, is it true that some cultures across Vytal eat the Grimm, as they have no other food sources?" Ozpin gave a nod, then sipped his drink.

"Indeed, many areas of the world are far less developed than us. Our Government claims that they do not have the resources to assist them, as they are used for fighting the Grimm. I can't claim to know the truth of this, unfortunately. Other cultures must simply make do with what they have."

Blake seemed disheartened by this. Didn't Vale have an over-abundance of Dust, thanks to the work of the Schnee Dust Company? Surely Dust could be sent to them. She thought for a moment about Weiss, and how she would inherit the company one day.

As much as I enjoy helping a student with their studies, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to go back to your dormitory. I can't have students wandering around at night, even if they are in the library."

Blake nodded, disappointed. She was enjoying this conversation, even if most of it was the Headmaster talking. There was a certain gravity to his manner that when he talked, you couldn't help but listen.

"One last question, if I may sir?" Ozpin sipped his drink and nodded.

"Why did you permit me to join this Academy? You must know about me, correct?"

Ozpin smiled calmly. He drew his attention to Blake's bow, which she wore at all times.

"Because I do not believe in discrimination, Miss Belladonna. I believe you are capable, no matter what type of person you are, just as I believe in the capabilities of everybody I have accepted into this Academy. There is nothing more to it than that."

Blake had hardly spoken to the Headmaster since she had joined this Academy. She was pleased to see that he was a kind, honest man.

"Thank you. Good night, sir." With a smile that she showed to hardly anybody, Blake turned around and left. She left the book where it was, deciding it wasn't all that useful to her.

Ozpin watched Blake leave, then resumed his note taking on the Shining Artefacts.

Author's note- Damn, I'm really jumping the gun on Blake's little secret. If it turns out that she isn't what I think she is, half of the plot I'm writing here will go to s***. Still, a lot of things point to it, like her song lyrics in the black trailer, the way her bow keeps twitching, e.t.c. I'd be pretty surprised if she wasn't.

Also, the name Katil is Turkish for assassin. Why Turkish? Because I picked the language at random on Google Translate. Adios!


	5. Chapter 4- The first training

Chapter 4- "The first training battle will now begin."

Author's note- Me and my friends have taken to saying "ooh, let's break his legs!" whenever we hear about someone being a jerk. We said it countless times watching the BBC news.

Also, in regards to the spelling of the word "artefact", that is how we spell it here in England, but I used the American version in the title, for seemingly no reason.

Glynda Goodwitch had many roles at Beacon Academy. She taught lessons, supervised training battles amongst students, and was more or less the Headmasters' assistant. As such, she hardly had any free time, if any at all. This was why she was slightly annoyed when Professor Port, a man in his mid-fifties, had walked into her office holding a bunch of flowers and asked her if she was "available", although there were other reasons for this.

Goodwitch's office was impressive in size, but bland in terms of decorations. The entire room was circular, the wall a simple grey, and the floor lined with a dull red rug. A large brown desk stood in the centre, where Goodwitch was sitting. More interestingly, lining most of the wall, except for where the window was placed, were several other desks sat. Several fascinating looking artefacts sat on them, ranging from broken mirror shards that floated in a glass sphere, to a certain glowing feather that rested on a crystal stand

Goodwitch took her eyes off of her timetable for tomorrow and looked at the grey-haired professor.

"Available?"

The professor was looking nervous. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and tried to keep up his confidence.

"Er, yes. I… er… would like to know if you are available, Miss Goodwitch. I…" Port racked up his courage. "… would like you to accompany me on a date of sorts."

Goodwitch continued to stare at him, her facial expression slowly changing. She narrowed her eyes, now showing increasing displeasure. Port was actually becoming quite frightened of the bespectacled beauty.

"Professor Port, there are several reasons as to why I wish you to leave my office. First and foremost, I hold no romantic affection for you what-so-ever."

Port's confidence was draining rapidly. This was what the students called "being shot down."

"Secondly, you have interrupted me without any regard to your mannerisms, and have not considered that I may have prior engagements, or that I may already have a partner."

Port's confidence was now non-existent. The flowers he was holding seemed to lose their petals. Goodwitch stood from her chair, as if to emphasise how important her third point was.

"And finally, the idea of me and you being partners is easily the most preposterous idea to come into existence since Ruby Rose had launched herself into a Nevermore. The only difference between these two ideas is that Ruby Rose actually succeeded, and you will not. Goodbye, Professor Port."

Port's moustache now drooped in response to how badly he was rejected. He knew that the idea was ridiculous, but he couldn't help trying. She was easily one of the most bewitching women he had seen, and although she had crushed his offer and disintegrated his self-confidence, he prided himself on the fact that he had tried. Better to have tried and failed than not try at all.

He slinked out of the office with his head hung low and the flowers now with no petals at all. Another chance at love lost.

When Professor Port was out of view, Goodwitch sat back down and studied her timetable for the next day, as though she were never asked out on a "date" with the older man.

Most of the upcoming day consisted of introducing the training battles to students. However, it was what came afterwards that had her most excited/concerned/worried. She would be joining Headmaster Ozpin once again, but this time it wouldn't be to the forest. They needed information on the artefacts they were gathering, such as the Luminescent and the shattered mirror, and only basic information on them could be found in Beacon's library.

The pair would be visiting the grand library of Vale, one of the largest libraries in the whole of Vytal. If there was no more information on the shining artefacts there, then there was no information on them at all.

Team RWBY and JNPR sat at the front of the assembly hall. Most of the group were excited. Today was the day they would start their training battles, where 2 people would step up onto the stage and, quite simply, fight each other.

The assembly hall was expansive, with several rows of chairs between the stage and the entrance. The stage itself sat at the front of the hall, spanning the width of the room. It looked a strange combination of futuristic and archaic, with light blue lights crossing a wall created from various grey, black and brown patterns. A screen was projected onto each side, which would show the aura levels emitting from the two competitors, and a microphone was placed in the centre, presumably for whoever was going to address them.

Ruby was ecstatic with the idea of fighting others. She would now have a chance to show to them that she was a capable fighter. She would now have a chance to prove herself. Not to mention that she would be able to see everyone else use their totally badass weapons.

Jaune, however, was far less excited. In fact, he was so less excited, he was practically soiling his pants. He didn't want to fight anyone, much less his friends, who he knew for a fact were much stronger than him. This was going to be humiliating.

Still, he was here now, at Beacon Academy. He was allowed in here because he had ability. He might have been intimidated by more or less every person near him, but he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight! It was time to prove that he was more than just the comic relief of the group!

As Jaune was psyching himself up, Professor Goodwitch and Headmaster Ozpin, who was carrying a mug as always, walked on stage. Goodwitch had some kind of tablet device in hand. The headmaster took a sip from his drink before he took his place next to the microphone.

"I will keep this brief, as I'm sure many of you are eager to begin your training."

Every student in the hall stopped their chatter and looked toward him. His strong voice, amplified by the microphone, had made everybody stop and hang onto his every word.

"This Academy can provide with you many things to assist you in your journey of becoming a hunter or huntress. Shelter. Knowledge. Companions. However, these are not what makes the hunter who they are. You need strength. Skill. Courage. You have already taken the first step, and you have all proven yourselves to be worthy of their place at Beacon Academy."

Jaune seemed to sigh with relief. He was still here. He was clearly worthy.

"Your trials, unfortunately, have yet to begin. Over the course of your time at this Academy, you will be pitted against one another, not for sport, not for entertainment, but to learn. From facing each other, you will improve your strength, Hone your skills, and gain courage. Team leaders will learn how their companions fight, and every student will discover more about their allies. The training battles are not games. They are what will help all of you to grow as hunters and huntresses. Do not take them lightly."

The headmaster started to walk off stage, before he recalled something and walked back.

"I would also like to mention that the library is now open throughout the day, for those who wish to further their studies.

No response. The Headmaster adjusted his glasses, then left the stage, disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm.

Professor Goodwitch now stood in front of the microphone.

As stated by Headmaster Ozpin, these battles will allow students to learn more of their teammates and of themselves, furthering their combat prowess. These exercises will consist of one on one battles, of which the combatants will be randomly selected from a register."

She glanced at her tablet, which contained a list of each students' name.

"When a person has been selected for battle, their name will be taken off the register, and they will not fight for another 5 days. After every 5 days, or if every student has battled, the register will reset, and all students will be up for selection once again."

This raised some murmurs from the students. It seemed that there was a limit to how often a person could fight, and the combatants would be selected at random. Some disagreed with this. What if they desperately wanted to fight a particular person? Would they have to wait and hope they get lucky?

"It was also made a point by the professor that if a student wished to challenge another to a duel, it will require permission and supervision from myself. Bear in mind that both students and myself must consent to this. There are no exceptions if I believe that a particular battle should not take place. You should also bear in mind that duels between students conducted in such a way will have no bearing on the register.

So, it seemed that students were allowed to fight each other under the supervision of the Professor, but it wouldn't affect their name on the register. This meant that friends couldn't just battle each other to avoid battling with others.

"In regards to the battles themselves, they will take place over a period of 2 minutes. The screens behind me will display your aura levels. When a person's aura reaches low levels, the battle will end with their defeat. Pay close attention to your aura levels to decide when it is best to attack and defend. I must also state that lethal attacks are completely forbidden. You shall not aim to kill your opponent."

Although most people agreed with the fact that they shouldn't kill their opponent, others, like the members of team CRDL, didn't seem to pay much attention to the last rule.

"That is all regarding the selection and rules of the battles. Other rules will be introduced over time. The first training battle will now begin."

The eyes of every student looked towards the screens, where many faces were rapidly appearing and disappearing, as the first 2 combatants were being randomly selected. The first screen started to slow down.

Cardin Winchester, Lie Ren, Russell Thrush, Ruby Rose, Velvet Scarlatina, Yang Xiao Long…

The screen had stopped on Yang, who immediately leapt out of her seat and pumped her fist into the air. She jumped on to the stage, ignoring the stairs, and excitedly awaited her opponent.

The second screen started to slow down. Jaune arc, Sky Lark, Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos, Ruby Rose…

Ruby was about to stand, but the screen changed again.

Jaune Arc.

Jaune suddenly stood, feeling a mixture of excited and terrified. He was about to go head to head against Yang, one of the most brutal fighters in the Academy. She was fast, strong, her gauntlets doubled as guns, and she would probably blast him off the stage in seconds.

Still, he mustered his courage, thinking about how he swore to go down fighting as best he could, and took the stairs up to the stage.

Goodwitch looked at him. Yang looked at him. Every student looked at him. Had he done something wrong?

"That Is, indeed, quite brave of you Mr. Arc. I look forward to the results of this match." What the hell was the Professor talking about?

"You will begin your battle on the sound of the trumpet" Goodwitch walked further back into the stage. The lights dimmed in the hall, so that only the stage and it's intruders could be seen.

Jaune had a bad feeling. Why were some of the students snickering? He ignored them, and reached for his… sword? He grasped where the sword should be, but only grasped air. It quickly dawned on him why everybody was laughing. He had left his sword and shield on his chair.

The trumpet had sounded, and he had no weapon. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable punch in the face. He was getting used it. One more wouldn't hurt THAT bad.

"Go get it."

Jaune opened his eyes to see that Yang was waiting, although she was bouncing on her feet, eager to get the fight started.

"Huh?"

"I won't hit you if you can't defend yourself. Just go get your weapons."

Jaune blinked, amazed that there was a girl out there who would actually give him a chance.

"Come on, hurry up already!

Jaune nodded, and jumped off the stage, where Pyrrha handed him his Grandfathers' sword. It was in a sheath, but when he took the sword out, the plates forming it suddenly shot out, creating a shield. A moon symbol was carved onto the front. He thanked Pyrrha, then quickly jumped on stage, where the timer was still counting down towards the end of the battle. He took his position.

"You ready this time?" Yang was nearing the end of her patience, but she couldn't simply attack somebody who was unarmed. Her parents taught her better than that.

Jaune nodded, and assumed a defensive stance, raising his shield.

Jaune wasn't as inept in battle as some… most… everybody believed. He was actually quite tactical. Sure, his strength and speed were average at best, but he was good at anticipating what move his opponents would make next. He had seen how Yang fought. She was incredibly offensive, and only defended when it was absolutely necessary. She liked to overwhelm her opponent with a barrage of attacks, and if they tried to attack her, she would dodge and counter instead of blocking. The few times she did block, she was generally staggered, and would struggle to form a counter attack. That's why she always moved in a fight.

As soon as the fight begins, she would dash forward and attempt a simple straight punch to test Jaune's blocking ability. He was capable of blocking a punch.

Afterwards, she would attempt to sweep his legs, leaving him helpless on the ground. This would be where Jaune was finished, as she would bring her fist down as soon as he was on the floor.

That was it. He needed to finish this quickly, as she would destroy him if the fight carried on for too long. All he had to do was jump and strike after the straight punch.

"Okay Scraggles, here I come!"

Yang dashed forward, attempting a straight punch. Blocked. Yang smiled. It was incredibly easy to open up defensive opponents. They always left their feet exposed.

She fell to the floor, lashing out with a sweeping kick, expecting him to fall flat on his face.

It didn't happen. As she looked up to see what was wrong, she was incredibly surprised to see Jaune in the air, shield raised. She barely recognised what was happening when the shield hit her square in the face. On her screen, the green bar that represented her aura lowered by a third.

Jaune stepped back, feeling proud. He had successfully hit a girl in the face! Actually, that wasn't something to be proud of. Still, he was pleased that his predictions were correct.

He waited as Yang stood up, feeling slightly dizzy. She shook her head. This guy was actually pretty good!

Jaune was already guessing her next move. She must know that being up close and personal was a bad idea. She was going to jump back to put some distance between the pair. She would then blast him with the guns in her gauntlet. What she did next depended on what condition he was in afterward. He needed to hit her again before she decided her move after using her guns.

Yang jumped backwards. Well, if the only thing scraggles could do was hit her up close, she would blast his ass off from a distance!

Yang made several punching motions, each one unloading a high powered bullet towards Jaune. He raised his shield and ran forward, hoping that he wouldn't get hit in the legs. He couldn't see past his shield, so all he could do was hope that he would make it to her. Several bullets impacted the shield, exploding and pushing him back. He carried on, his strength waning with each bullet that hit him, and made it the end of the stage.

As soon as she saw him up close, she would try to uppercut him while firing a bullet at the same time. She would do this as she preferred to empty her magazines before resuming her standard "punch you in the face until you collapse" technique. He would side step and strike her with the shield. If she blocked it, he would swing at her feet with his sword. If she avoided that… well, he would just try and hit her in the face again. It worked last time.

Yang could barely see past all of the explosions, but Jaune's silhouette was just about visible. He was trying to rush her. She grinned and prepared to uppercut him, wanting to use her last bullet on this punch. She thought it would be a funny sight to watch him fly through the air.

She threw her fist upwards while firing the gauntlet. She felt the same sensation of punching air that she felt several seconds ago. Jaune had circled around her, using the momentum to slam her with his shield. She raised her other fist, and staggered when she blocked it. She tried to move, and cried out in shock his sword came millimetres away from her leg. As she was about to launch her fist at him again, she was hit, hard, by his shield, which he had delivered with a backhand strike. She fell backwards, barely standing straight.

Jaune couldn't believe it. He was actually winning! He was beating somebody in a fight! And everybody watching had laughed at him before the fight started. Well, who's laughing now, huh? It was time for people to respect him as a competent fighter!

Something yellow had fallen in front of Yang's face. As she straightened herself, she looked down. It was… a few strands of her hair. She slowly looked at Jaune, her eyes turning a fierce red, the air around her starting to burn. This little bastard dared to bring harm to her hair? Oh, he was gonna pay. PAY!

Jaune snapped himself out of his thoughts, getting to guess her next attack… She was looking angry for some reason. Losing wasn't that big of a deal, was it?

Yang stamped the ground, straightening herself and her arms. As she did so, the area around her seemed to explode. Jaune had a really bad feeling.

He barely had time to think his next plan through, as Yang had already dashed toward him, swinging her fists, he could do nothing but raise his shield to defend himself. The impacts were freakin' devastating! With each punch he blocked, he found himself skidding backwards, barely able to keep up his defence. He grunted and almost fell when the barrage ended with a straight punch. He kept his shield raised, hoping to God she was done.

She wasn't. She continued her attack, but the punches seemed slower this time. This wasn't good. This meant she was planning something. Logically, the only thing she could do to break his defence was circle around him and hit him in the side. The real question was, which way would she move?

Left or right? Which way she moved and which way he predicted would decide the entire fight. He had to guess.

*WHAM!* *WHAM* *WHAM*

A pause in the attack. She would move now! He took the chance and swung his sword… left!

…

…

…

He had connected with nothing. He had guessed wrong. He closed his eyes. He knew what was coming. He relished the fact he had almost won.

Yang threw her fist into Jaune with all her might. As he wheeled from the blow, she got closer and pummelled him into submission.

"DON'T!"

*WHAM*

"MESS!"

*WHAM*

"WITH A!"

*WHAM!*

"GIRLS!"

*WHAM*

"HAIR!"

The final blow blasted Jaune off the stage and into the crowd of people watching, who immediately dispersed away from the now unconscious boy. The bar representing Jaune's aura was completely empty. Yang had, obviously, won.

Pyrrha, Nora and Ren had gotten up and went over to Jaune, making sure he was still fine… well, making sure he was still breathing. He probably wouldn't be fine at all when he woke up.

Yang started to calm down, and her eyes became blue again. She was actually quite exhausted, from both using her aura and from the actual fight. Jaune actually had the makings of a decent hunter.

"The fight is now over." Everybody had turned towards Goodwitch, almost forgetting she was still here.

"Ms. Xiao Long has emerged victorious, and has hopefully learned something from the battle, as should have Mr. Arc."

Ruby was cheering from the front, happy that her sister had won, although she couldn't help but feel sorry for Jaune.

"This concludes the introductory battle. We will resume these battles tomorrow, where several battles will take place over the day. Bear in mind that a maximum of 7 seven battles will occur each day, not including duels between students. Goodbye, students." Goodwitch walked off stage, and was amused to see that team JNPR were trying to wake Jaune.

"Jaune? Jaune? JAAAAAUUUUUNE!" Nora was screaming into her unconscious friends' ear.

Goodwitch's focus wandered elsewhere. She was thinking about how she and Ozpin were going to the grand library of Vale.

She wandered what they would find out about the Shining Artefacts.

Author's note- As soon as I saw that one on one fights actually happened at Beacon, I was already thinking about who should end up fighting each other. I was originally going to have Yang blast Jaune off the stage as soon as he realised he had forgotten his weapon and have somebody else fight her, but that seemed a bit mean to do to my favourite character.

I won't have one on one fights every chapter, since I need to advance this plot eventually. Aufwiedersehen!


	6. Chapter 5-This is a promise

Chapter 5-"This is a promise."

Author's note- "Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold." Rolls right off the tongue.

Also, I only just found the tool for line breaks. Derp.

* * *

The Grand Library of Vale was, as expected, grand. Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch had walked in, Ozpin carrying his cane and Goodwitch holding various books. It was in the dead of night, but the building was still open, and some people were quietly reading books at desks. Some looked up at the outlandish duo for a moment before looking away. The entire room was circular, 8 floors high, and well cared for, as the wooden floor was so well polished that they could see their reflections. There wasn't a speck of dirt in sight, which was a lot more than what could be said of Beacons' library.

A large hole with railings sat in each floor except for the first, so that every floor could be seen on any floor. A large glass ceiling was visible from the centre of the room. Every floor was well lit, and in the centre of the ground level stood a single desk, which a black haired receptionist sat behind, twiddling her pen. She looked up when Ozpin and Goodwitch approached her.

"Excuse me miss, could you please direct us to the history section?"

It was Ozpins' first time at Vales' library. He had always wanted to visit this place, but he was always occupied with school work or other duties. This time however, he had an actual reason to be here, and he secretly looked forward more to visiting the library than getting the information he needed.

"4th floor" The receptionist resumed the important task of messing with her pen.

"Thank you." Ozpin gave a short bow, before the pair made their way up the flights of stairs. He tried to count as many sections as he could. Alchemy…Politics…Grimmology…Geography… they were seemingly endless.

As Ozpin and Goodwitch reached their destination, they found that the History section was an entire floor by itself, as opposed to other subjects which shared the same floor. This was no surprise, as Vytal had a rich history, which included the great war, the creation of Dust, and a whole lot more.

The books were ordered by alphabet, which made their job much easier. They both started to check the books beginning with S. After a few moments, Goodwitch pulled out a book simply titled "The Shining Artefacts." It was quite small, which didn't bode well for their information gathering. She opened to the first page, which held an introduction to the topic. She read:

"The Shining Artefacts, known by some as the Fortunes of the Great War, are an obscure part of history that only those with a keen interest in artefact gathering would know about. These 4 artefacts were discovered at the same time as Dust, although their place in history is considered far less important, as they were only used in a single battle, and only the powers of one were ever seen. This book shall detail the 4 artefacts, despite how little is known about them."

Ozpin was listening carefully. He should have known this wouldn't be easy. The book he had found at Beacon a couple of days ago had only told him when and how the artefacts were found. It seemed that this book would only be able to tell them the powers of only one.

They both sat at a desk towards the side of the floor. Several computers lined the edge of the room, but only one was in use, by somebody with their hood raised, their face obscured.

Goodwitch turned the page. This one held some basic facts on the "Luminescent". Nobody knew its function. The only important details were that it was the first to be found, before Dust itself was even discovered, and the Grimm were able to sense it from a distance.

The next page was more interesting, but not for the reasons they had expected. The page was torn crudely. The "Starlight" was used during in a battle during the Great War, but that was all that remained.

"Well, this was unexpected. It seems as though we are not the only ones who want this information." Ozpin was undeniably disappointed. They had almost found out what one of the artefacts actually did! Unfortunately, somebody had beaten them to this book.

Goodwitch was staring intently at the scrap of the stage that remained. Ozpin now noticed why. Something was written in tiny handwriting.

"To those who seek the Shining Artefacts. Cease, or your life will end. This is not a threat. It is a promise."

Goodwitch had spoken the words quietly.

"Sir, I now truly believe we should stop our hunt for the Artefacts. Whoever has written this warning clearly has knowledge of them, and will clearly kill for them."

"Ozpin." The Headmaster simply said. He still wanted her to use his name. She was not amused, but said nothing when he continued.

"Glynda, whoever has written this 'promise' must indeed have knowledge of the Artefacts' powers. However, if they will go as far as to kill for them, they clearly will not have good intentions. We must find them so they do not. We already have 2. They may already have the remaining 2, and could even be able to access their abilities. We cannot allow them to use the Artefacts for their own purposes. This is why we seek them."

The Headmasters' facial expression was as calm as when he had read the note. Goodwitch was less confident, but trusted what Ozpin had said. All though they were under threat for doing so, they needed to find all 4 of the Shining Artefacts. If they held powers of epic proportions, they could not fall into the wrong hands.

She flicked through the rest of the book. The remaining pages were also torn. The only details that could be made out were the names of the remaining artefacts. 'Shattered Mirror' and 'Sunrise.' Despite this, the pages on the Luminescent were still clean. Maybe the mystery vandal had decided that information on the Luminescent was worthless.

Something had come to Ozpins attention. The person at the computer had stopped typing and was staring into the screen. The person was listening to them.

"I believe it is time for us to leave, Glynda." The pair stood and made for the stairs. Although…

"Actually, if you have no objections, I would like to see what other books can be found here." He didn't wait for her response, and quickly walked up the stairs. Goodwitch wasn't too bothered. She actually wanted to see what the library could tell her about Alchemy. They went their separate ways.

Katil, who was sitting at the computer, was intrigued. Didn't Torchwick want information on some of those Artefacts?

Katil had seen Headmaster Ozpin before. He had appeared on some news specials, telling the world about Beacon Academy and what it offered. It had interested Katil. The chance to attend a school would have been welcome to him, as he had never really been around people his own age. The people in his group were all older, and taught him practically everything he knew. They taught him mathematics, combat techniques, the history of the world… and the discrimination of his race.

All though his 'friends' had led him to believe that all humans were the enemy, he preferred to have his own ideas. Surely not every human was bad. That Headmaster seemed like a pretty decent guy, and he wouldn't have minded getting to 'know' the gorgeous woman he was with.

A part of him wanted to go to an Academy like Beacon. Sadly, the other part of him knew that he would be discriminated there. He was looking at a news article on the computer right now. A Fauna had committed suicide because of how she was being treated at her school. Tragic. He subconsciously started to rub his broken arm.

Katil sighed and turned off the computer. He wasn't sure why he was reading something so depressing. Maybe he was trying to find good news relating to a Fauna. As if.

As he made his way towards the exit, (He couldn't help but glance at the pretty professor he saw earlier.) he noticed that the lights on various floors were being turned off. That was odd. The library was open 24/7. It shouldn't be closing.

He was about to leave the building when every light on the ground floor suddenly turned off. Then the second floor. Then the third. Every light was soon turned off, and everybody was now looking around, confused. Somebody called out in the darkness.

"Hey, do you mind? Some of us are reading, y'know! Switch the lights back on!"

The headmaster, on the top floor, now had a bad feeling, although his expression was still calm and collected. He put away his book titled "The abnormal features of the Fauna." He detested the name, but still found it a useful source of information. Goodwitch had briskly walked up the stairs, looking for him.

"I highly recommend that we leave, sir. There should be no reason for the library to close. I can only conclude that it is somebody else's doing."

Ozpin nodded his approval. They both descended the stairs, as several people complained to the receptionist.

Katil tried the handle of the doors, wanting to leave the library, but it wouldn't open. He now pushed against it. No luck. This time he slammed his entire body into it, and swore when he remembered his arm was broken. He rubbed it and turned around, seeing if another exit was available. There wasn't. Everybody was trapped inside the library.

He had a very bad feeling.

The Headmaster and the pretty woman were now on the first floor, and they had made for the door, probably hoping to leave.

"It's locked, I hate to say."

The Headmaster seemed perplexed, trying to figure out why they were trapped in this building. Katil suddenly said something that he didn't expect, although it wasn't directed at him.

"Although I have to say, Miss, that being trapped inside a building with someone as beautiful as yourself isn't such a bad thing." Katil winked at Goodwitch.

She sighed. First Professor Port, now a teenager. What sort of men did she attract?

Katil's expression suddenly darkened. He had heard something. It was… above them? On the roof?

He looked up, and to his surprise, several people had converged on the glass ceiling above them. A moment later, and the glass had shattered, as they rappelled into the building. The glass showered onto the poor souls below them, as it cut into their skin. Katil, Ozpin and Goodwitch were safe as they were next to the exit, with the floors above them protecting them.

They got a good look at the new arrivals. Katil recognised them immediately.

Fauna.

Some, with large, floppy rabbit ears. Others with horns on the side of their heads. They all landed on the ground floor, surrounding the unfortunate victims. They all wielded the same weapons. A pair of razor sharp claws, with no special functions immediately apparent. They were dressed in an all-black uniform, with a symbol on their left shoulder. It could hardly be seen from this distance, but Katil knew what it represented.

The Fauna liberation group. The group that Katil belonged to. He stepped forward to his group of comrades, lowering his hood. He did so to prove that he was an ally, but his manner toward the group suggested that he was anything but their friend.

"What the hell is this? Why in the HELL are you guys here?"

The obvious leader of the group, a tall woman with a hammer as opposed to a pair of claws, approached him. She must have been new, as he had never seen her before.

She gave a hand gesture toward her allies. At once, the group of Fauna sprang into action, and rushed towards the humans in the centre. They restrained the humans, who started screaming and struggling. The Fauna took out light grey dust crystals and broke them against the victims' hands. As they broke, circles formed around the humans, encompassing them. They couldn't move, although they could still scream. They had become hostages.

The leader was grey-skinned, with a Rhino horn directly on her forehead. With her close shaven, silver hair, it would have been easy to mistake her as a man. One indication that she was, in fact, a woman, was her… 'voluptuous' body. Her stance gave the impression of somebody who was confident in their abilities, as a leader and a fighter. It was apparent that she gave orders, not take them. She gave a demanding step forward, looking at Katil with fire in her grey eyes.

"A better question to ask would be why you, a fellow Fauna, would be seen in public with these humans." Her voice was strong and determined, making Katil feel small and weak by comparison, even though they were the same species with the same goal. Despite this, Katil wouldn't let himself be intimidated.

"I asked first, jackass. If my group had plans to take over a library, I oughta have known about it. Hell, I'd probably be with you right now, helping you take the place over."

The woman was terrifying to talk to, but Katil took a step forward, trying to be the dominant person.

"So I'll ask again. Why's the Fauna Liberators trying to take over a library?"

The woman was not pleased with Katil's tone. She had heard of this kid when she first joined the Liberators, but she had no idea he would be this arrogant. She now stood right next to him, towering over him.

"We are here to prove to humanity that the Fauna are not weak. Not submissive. Not to be kept in the shadows and treated like dirt."

She now started walking around the room, as if addressing the frightened humans in the centre.

"We Fauna shall prove tonight that we are a force to be reckoned with. We shall prove tonight that we deserve our rights! We will destroy this library, and take these people hostages! If the humans will not give us our rights, we will take them by force!"

Katil didn't like this at all. The Grand Library of Vale was Vales' most important landmark. This Kingdom was land of knowledge, not military prowess. The only part of Vale that could be considered militant was its police force, as well as the White Fang group.

This was why the library was targeted. Even though Vale had trouble defending itself, if the library was destroyed, it would showcase the fact that the Fauna had the power and the guts to force their way to gaining civil rights.

"You are, unfortunately, incorrect."

It was as though time stopped. Only the sound of the many humans' heavy, terrified breathing filled the room. Who was actually crazy enough to try and correct this woman? She turned around towards the source of the voice, snarling, her eyes narrowing. It was the grey haired man. Did he have a death wish?

"Incorrect? Would you care to elaborate on that point?" She spat the words out, and pointed her hammer at him. She thought this would be enough to shut him up, but he continued.

"Gladly." Ozpin started to stroll around the centre of the room.

"I agree with you. I truly believe that the Fauna should be granted equal rights. However, the way in which you are attempting to achieve these rights is wrong. Tell me, what is your name?

The rhino horned woman wanted to tear him apart. Who was he to tell her how her race should achieve their rights? He would never face discrimination like she had. Still, a dead human would not bode well for the Fauna. She was specifically told that there should be no casualties tonight.

"Nosorog" She tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Well Nosorog, what do you believe will happen when the government discovers that the Fauna were responsible for the destruction of the Grand Library and the taking of hostages? They will not give in to your demands. They will mark you as villains. Every newspaper, every news article, every form of media will paint you as monsters. You are not helping your cause. You are destroying your chances of success even further."

Ozpin came to a stop in front of Nosorog, facing her. She stared into his eyes, trying to find a retort.

"So what if we are painted as monsters? It would be no different to how we are shown now!"

She leaned in on Ozpin. He stood firm on his spot.

"You're probably the same. You believe that we deserve to disappear, don't you? All of you are the same! You're the real monsters!" She raised her voice, wanting to intimidate the human. He wasn't affected at all.

"As I've already said Nosorog, I believe your cause is right. Your methods, however, lack any sense of logic. I suggest you and your companions take your leave. These innocent people already know your plan, and are likely to tell others of what happened here tonight, but by leaving now, you may reduce the damage of your reckless act."

His calmness. His sense of 'logic'. His know-it-all attitude. Everything about the man was making her angrier. She gripped her hammer tighter, nearing the end of her patience. She turned her focus towards Katil before she smashed him in the head.

"You! You belong to the Liberators! You know just as much as I do that this bastard doesn't know what he's saying! You agree that these actions are necessary, don't you?"

Katil had 2 minds about the situation.

He was raised to believe that humans were evil. Although he walked among them, he never interacted with them unless it was for his own gains. He had manipulated criminals into giving him weapons for the Liberators. But he never imagined that they would actually be used against innocent people like this. These humans had done nothing wrong to them. They were actually terrified.

The Headmaster was also confusing him. He was human, but he wasn't treating the Fauna like scum. He was even empathetic about their situation. This was new to Katil.

"Look sweetheart, you're right. I do belong to the Liberators. Of course I think that we deserve our rights! But for the love of God, none of these guys did anything wrong! The only thing they did was come to this library to read, but here you are, taking them as hostages! Who the hell approved this idea, because I'm pretty damn sure that our leader wouldn't agree with this!"

Nosorog snapped.

"You IDIOT! These actions are needed! YOU are the one who helped to gather these weapons, and yet you disagree with how they're used?"

Katil's heart skipped a beat. Of course. He obtained the weapons. What else would they be used for?

"I… I sure didn't think they would be used to threaten innocent people!"

"If you thought that the weapons would be used for anything else, then you are in the wrong group. The Liberators exist to take our rights by any means necessary."

Katil had now stopped talking. He was in deep thought. Was she right? Did he really belong in the Liberators? Nosorog stood back over the hostages, twirling her hammer with ease. Her attention had turned back to Ozpin.

"I'm afraid that no more discussions will take place. We will destroy the Grand Library of Vale, take these people hostage, and gain our rights from the Government. They will listen to us."

She now fully turned towards Ozpin, and pointed the hammer at him.

"You will not persuade us to take any other course of action. If you will stand in our way, we will eliminate you."

In response to her words, the team of Fauna took a fighting stance.

Combat was inevitable.

Katil was leaning against the door of the entrance, trying to figure out who was right, and which side he really belonged to.

Goodwitch took his place alongside Ozpin, drawing her wand. Ozpin gripped the handle of his cane.

"My apologies, Nosorog, but we cannot allow you to continue with your plan."

* * *

Author's note- A pretty dialogue heavy chapter, here. It'll balance with the action heavy chapter coming up next, I'm sure.

By the by, 'Nosorog' is Croatian for 'rhino'.

Also, my synopsis mentions a "Baby Grimm." That's coming up soon, I promise. Farvel!


	7. Chapter 6- Nowhere to go

Chapter 6- Nowhere to go.

Author's note- It seems a made a slight cock-up last chapter regarding the names of the artefacts. It has been duly corrected, but in case you were confused, the names of the artefacts are 'Luminescent',' Starlight', 'Shattered Mirror' and 'Sunrise.'

Oh, and look! Fighting!

* * *

Team RWBY were in their room, each girl doing her own thing. Blake had lit some candles and was reading a novel titled "Ninjas of Love." Yang had somehow managed to bring a punching bag into the room, and was punching it furiously. Ruby and Weiss were both sat on the floor, surrounded by books.

"Pay attention Ruby. In what year was the Kingdom of Vale founded?"

Ruby looked around, trying to find the book that would tell her the answer. Weiss sighed, her patience nearing its limits.

"Ruby, we went through this no less than 5 minutes ago. How could you have possibly forgotten already?"

"Er… selective memory?"

Yang chuckled. No matter what situation her sister was in, her attitude towards studying would never change.

"Ruby, you need to know these things. If it's found that the leader of team RWBY can't even answer this simple question, it makes everybody here look bad." Weiss was, at first, happy enough to help Ruby with her studies. That was 20 minutes ago. Now she wanted to throw the younger girl out of the window.

"What? Who ACTUALLY cares about how smart I am? Everyone knows that you and Blake are 2 of the smartest people in the entire Academy!"

Yang coughed, wanting to be acknowledged by Ruby as smart. She stared at her sister, waiting for the correction. It never came.

"For one, Headmaster Ozpin cares about the grades of everybody in the Academy. If your performance is below par, he will likely throw you out. More than combat prowess is needed at this Academy, remember." Weiss retorted.

Ruby groaned and threw her head back onto the ground. If she had known that being at Beacon would mean this much work, she would refused the Headmasters' request to join.

That was a lie. Being at Beacon was Ruby's dream. So what if a lot of studying was involved? She would just have to suck it up. It's now like life at Beacon was all about books. The best part, fighting the Grimm, was what made it worthwhile.

"What do you think the Headmaster's doing right now?"

Blake remembered how she had spoken to him at the library. He never really seemed the type to do anything exciting.

"Probably nothing of interest."

* * *

Ozpin deflected the initial strike with his cane, which had come from a Fauna who lunged at him with a pair of claws. The 2 items clashed together with the sharp sound of clanging metal, which filled the entire library and the ears of the humans who were unable to move in a grey dust rune. Ozpin took a graceful step back.

The cane wasn't really made of wood. It was just painted to look like it was. In actuality, it was metal, and was the sheath for a sword. He twisted the top and pulled, revealing an incredibly sharp short blade. As it came out, the top of the hilt expanded, producing a guard similar to that of a fencing sword. The edge was sharp enough for it to be used as an actual sword, but was pointed and light, allowing it to double as a rapier. No tricks or gimmicks. Just fantastic workmanship.

The Fauna who had attacked him stepped forward, attempting to pierce him through his chest.

Ozpin wasn't going to kill in this battle. He didn't believe that death was a solution to these kinds of problems. As such, he would render them unconscious, only using the edge or point to disarm.

He took a step to the side, avoiding the lunge, and brought the hilt into the back of the Faunas' neck. He crumpled to the ground without a noise.

The emergency lighting system in the Library had activated. Every floor now had low level lighting, making it possible to see the entirety of the room. There were 12 opponents remaining, waiting for their combat strategy from their leader, Nosorog. Ozpin took his stance, keeping his sword arm straight in front of him, so that it was always pointing to his adversary. He noticed that 1 Fauna was not like the others in the way that he held a silver suitcase instead of a weapon, and he had a feeling he knew what it contained.

"Don't just stand there! Rip 'em to SHREDS!" Nosorog roared her orders. At once, the team of Fauna sprang into action. 4 of them circled the room, while the other 8 charged forward, their claws poised to strike.

The presence of Goodwitch was almost forgotten. She raised her wand, forming a white barrier in front of the duo. Some of the Fauna hit their heads off of it, and staggered backwards, dazed by the impact. She kept it raised as Ozpin spoke.

"Glynda, I shall keep them distracted. Your ability to render them unconscious is greater than mine, so I shall attempt to keep them away from you." Glynda nodded her approval, and lowered the barrier. Ozpin stood before the Fauna, waiting for their next move.

Nosorog had separated from the group, and was heading for Katil, dragging her hammer along the ground. They faced each other, Katil still trying to determine if he should be with the Liberators if they would hurt innocent people like this. Nosorog pointed the huge hammer at him with a single arm.

"Well, Katil? Now that you know what the weapons you have gathered are for, are you with us, or against us, your own species? Bear in mind that being against us will have severe consequences."

She twisted the handle clockwise, and as she did so, the head of the hammer split into 2. The pieces parted, opening to reveal that the weapon also doubled as a firearm of some kind. Nosorog heaved it onto her shoulder, hardly affected by its weight.

"Look, I AM on your side! What other side could I be on, other that the Faunas'? Just…Just… that guy was right! Everything goes to hell if the Fauna destroy Vales' key landmark, I mean, we aren't gonna get any rights if this happens! The humans'll just fight back, and we're even further from getting what we want."

"So, you believe that we should just do nothing? Why did you collect these weapons? Empty threats are meaningless. We shall show that we are capable of using force."

Katil could think of nothing to say. The Liberators hadn't said anything to him about the destruction of the Grand Library. Did they not believe he was necessary, or did they already know that he wouldn't agree with this plan? He mustered his courage, because he knew that his answer was about to enter him into a world of pain. He tried to keep his one working hand close to his pocket.

"Sorry Babe, but I'm against you. No way in hell that I'm being a part of this." He reached into his pocket, ready to make his getaway.

"What a shame. It looks like I'll have to kill a fellow Fauna. There were supposed to be no deaths tonight, but considering that the 2 'heroes' behind us will die anyway, another body will make no difference. Farewell, Katil." Nosorog aimed the hammer, her hand poised on the handle, which would fire the gun when she twisted it clockwise.

It had to be now. Katil grasped a crystal in his pocket and broke it in his hand. A flash of blinding light broke out, and Nosorog was blinded. In her surprise, she dropped the hammer, accidentally twisting the handle. A rocket launched from the end, flying into the wall and exploding with a deafening noise.

When she recovered, Katil was gone. She snapped around on the spot, trying to find him, and spotted him in his black coat heading up the stairs to the next floor. He would not get away, especially after a stunt like that. She charged after him, her hammer in both hands.

Ozpin was now engaged against several Fauna at once, as he tried to keep them distracted long enough for Goodwitch to find a method of dispatching them. He was quickly and elegantly thrusting the sword toward the group of 8, who were trying to surround him from all sides. This was not a favourable position. He rushed forward toward an opponent who was alone on one side, thrusting the sword into the metal claw, aiming for the handle. The claw came off, landing on the ground, and the Fauna could do nothing but look as Ozpin drove the hilt of his sword into his stomach. The Fauna crumpled to the ground.

Goodwitch was aware of the 4 Fauna who were circling the room, trying to reach her. She would just have to hope that the Headmaster could defend himself long enough for her to deal with these enemies.

She flicked her wand, which emitted a purple light. Books, at least a hundred in number, came forth from the bookshelves placed around the rooms. She aimed them towards the 2 Fauna approaching from her left. As they were about to lunge forward, they were thrown back as the books flew into them as fast as a machine gun. They were launched across the room by the sheer force and speed of the objects, which were still raining down on them even after they were unconscious.

The other 2 Fauna were now more sceptical about attacking Goodwitch, looking at each other. Maybe attacking the other human would be wiser. They didn't have a chance to do anything, as Ozpin had broken away from his fight to engage them. One Fauna had no time to react as he was instantly struck in the stomach with the hilt of the sword. The other swiped at Ozpin, trying to sever his head. Ozpin ducked while moving toward the threat, and struck him in the neck with the flat side of the blade. Both of the Fauna fell to the ground.

* * *

On the second floor of the Library, Nosorog was chasing after Katil, forcing various desks to the side. Katil was trying desperately to get away. She would have more rockets for her launcher, surely. He sprinted up to the top of the library, hoping to lose her amongst the bookshelves. He had reached the sixth floor, but could still hear her approaching. Amongst the noise of the fight below, he had a clicking noise. It was the click of Nosorogs' rocket launcher.

He looked over the railing of the gap in the centre of the room, trying to see what floor she was on.

*BANG!*

Katil quickly ducked out of view, and a rocket had flown inches away from his head. She definitely knew where he was. He heard another clicking noise, followed by her stamping up the stairs to his position. If she caught him, he was a dead cat.

As he continued his ascent, he felt around in his pockets. He had 3 more crystals, 1 a grey smoke colour, another cyan coloured, and the last purple coloured. The grey crystal could only distract her, but the cyan crystal would have to be used well, since it could easily freeze her in place. The purple crystal would be his big gamble. If he used it right, she had no chance of beating him.

* * *

Ozpin and Goodwitch had heard the explosion above them, and they knew that the leader was trying to kill the boy with cat ears. There was nothing they could do yet, as they still had 7 adversaries to deal with.

A Fauna with horns was making a hand gesture, most likely a signal. The Fauna with the suitcase quickly ran away from the fray. Ozpin had noticed this Fauna earlier, and if he was correct, the suitcase would contain the explosive that would demolish the Grand Library. He needed to be stopped.

The 6 Fauna who remained wasted no time in attacking the pair. Ozpin raised his sword above his head to block an overhead slash. He pirouetted around the Fauna, and was going to strike the base of his neck when he had to deflect another strike. The 2 Fauna slashed at him at the same time, and he was forced to take a step back, avoiding the synchronised attack. He needed to deal with these obstacles to stop the one with the suitcase.

Goodwitch barely had the time to stop the other 4 Fauna, who had decided that she was the biggest threat. As they rushed forward with their claws raised, she wrapped a nearby bookshelf in purple light, and flicked her wand, sending it in front of her. One of the Faunas' claws got stuck in the thick wood, stopping an inch from her face. She took advantage of this to raise the bookshelf into the air, with the Fauna still attached to it. As it raised into the air, the other Fauna were too awestruck to attack Goodwitch, and watched as their friend was slammed back into the ground, with the bookshelf on top of him. Another enemy dealt with.

* * *

Katil had reached the top floor, and dropped to the floor as he heard the distinctive sound of Nosorogs' launcher firing. A rocket flew above him and into the ceiling, exploding and dropping pieces of rubble on top of his head. The area suddenly became darker, and he covered his head against the rubble, then got back up and tried to hide amongst the tall bookshelves. The eighth floor had more books than any other floor, so trying to sneak around her would be easiest here.

His current plan to sneak up on her and smash her with the cyan crystal. He would be destroyed in an actual fight with her, so stealth was his only option. Fortunately, her rocket a second ago had knocked out the emergency lighting system on this floor. He had darkness on his side.

Nosorog stamped up to the top floor. She could see nothing but the bookshelves right in front of her. The lights on this floor were out, restricting her visibility. She twisted the handle of her launcher counter-clockwise, and it reformed into a hammer. She slowly stepped into the darkness, amongst the books, trying to find Katil.

She crept through the countless books, listening carefully for footsteps. Katil was around the bookshelf she was approaching, trying to keep his breathing under control. He pulled out the cyan crystal, ready to strike. He could hear her approaching, her lumbering footsteps giving her away.

Closer…

Closer…

Now! Katil dashed around the corner, trying to punch Nosorog with the crystal in hand. She saw him appear, but couldn't swing the hammer in time to stop him. A freezing sensation took over her, and she was quickly enveloped in ice. It started at her stomach, before spreading across her legs, then reaching her arms. She tried to swing her hammer as the ice restricted her movements.

The ice was nothing more than a hindrance, as the amount produced wasn't enough to cover her enormous mass. Katil made the easy decision to run like hell, as Nosorog was wildly swinging her weapon despite her limited arm movements. It was actually quite amusing to look at, but Katil decided not to marvel at it. He hid himself in the darkness once more.

The ice cracked as Nosorog regained control of her body, falling to pieces as she moved forward, trying to follow Katil. No… that wasn't the way to do it. He was just waiting for her.

"You can't hide from me, Kitty cat." With a roar, Nosorog crushed the bookshelf on her left with a mighty swing of her hammer, and it collapsed immediately. She would tear the bookshelves to pieces.

* * *

Back on the ground floor, Ozpin and Goodwitch were trying to finish the remaining opponents. The 2 Fauna attacking Ozpin were relentless, synchronising their attacks to break his impeccable guard. He raised his sword above him, then swung left, then right, parrying an attack each time. The Fauna with horns was now getting impatient, and lunged at Ozpin, attempting his stab his stomach.

With a deft movement, he sidestepped the lunge, and cleanly cut the Fauna's hand, removing his claw. The second opponent launched himself at Ozpin, protecting his ally, but quickly became unconscious as Ozpin drove the sword's hilt into his neck. The remaining Fauna tried to punch Ozpin, but was met with the same fate as his ally. Ozpin's obstacles had been dealt with. He ran after the Fauna with the suitcase.

Goodwitch was almost done with the 3 Fauna. As they dashed forward, they readied their claws, about to slash her from different angles.

The angles made no difference to Goodwitch. They were all done for, anyway. She raised her wand into the air, and this time, it wasn't just 100 books that came forth from the bookshelves. It was all of the books on the entire floor. They flew towards Goodwitch and acted as a shield, defending her from the multitude of slashes. Pages and covers were scattered across the room as the Fauna attempted to shred their way to their opponent, but they stopped when they saw that the amount of books in front of them were innumerable… and moving slowly above them.

The 3 Fauna quickly scrambled to escape, but were too late. The countless books landed on top of them, drowning them in a sea of words and ideas. Goodwitch simply adjusted her glasses, and walked over to the hostages, who were still trapped in a grey rune. The Fauna were still breathing… probably.

* * *

Nosorog was crushing every bookshelf on the eighth floor, limiting Katil's hiding places. He was watching from his hiding place, waiting for the ideal time to use his purple crystal. He needed to smash it on her, like he did with the cyan crystal. If he had known that the cyan crystal would be worthless, he wouldn't have bothered with it.

Before long, only a quarter of the bookshelves remained. She was nearing the end of the room, where a row of the shelves were placed. With a smirk, she held the hammer out to her left, and ran past them, with her hammer breaking through the obstacles. They collapsed with ease, clattering to the ground loudly.

Katil was not hiding behind the bookshelves. Instead, he was perched on top of them, ready to pounce on his prey. She was dashing across the room, bringing several shelves to ruin, nearing him with every step. Only the row he was sitting on remained, and she wasted no time beginning the destruction on the other side of the room.

As she readied her hammer, Katil pulled out the grey crystal. Several bookshelves collapsed as she sprinted past them. He leapt into the air as she came toward the end of the room, every bookshelf now destroyed. She looked around, expecting to see her adversary.

Something dropped down in front of her. A grey crystal. As it shattered, a cloud of grey smoke sprouted out of the ground, covering her surroundings to such an extent that she couldn't even see her own horn.

Footsteps behind her. She heaved her hammer and swung it behind her with all her might, hoping to break Katil in half. Katil rolled under it, brandishing the purple crystal. He rammed it against her body, shattering it. He scampered away, not wanting to get caught in what was about to happen.

As the smoke cleared, Nosorog turned on the spot, looking for the sneaky little-

Something was wrong. She felt a weird sensation where Katil had hit her. Then, for some reason, a piece of wood from a broken bookshelf had hit her in the stomach. Then a book, then several books. What the hell? She quickly realised what he had done.

He used a purple crystal. The crystal that created a gravitational pull. It pulled in all low-mass objects around her. The same low-mass objects that she had created by destroying everything in sight.

She dropped her hammer and ran for dear life, as the countless books and debris flew towards her. She wasn't going to escape. The objects had stuck to her body, piling up and weighing her down. She soon found herself on the ground, roaring as she was being drowned in the endless debris she had created. Her cries and screams died out as she was completely swamped, unable to move. She was defeated.

Katil gave a sigh of relief. He stood at the top of the stairs, watching the madness unfold. Say what you want about the Schnee Companies' business practices. They sure knew how to make crystals. He descended the stairs to join the humans who more or less helped him.

* * *

Ozpin was directly behind the Fauna with the suitcase, who had come to a corner of the room to set the charges.

"I'll have to ask you to step away. I can't have this library be destroyed, I'm afraid."

The Fauna jolted upright, surprised by the humans appearance. It looks like his allies had been defeated. He struggled to find the words that would get him out of this situation, but Ozpin spoke first.

"If you simply walk away, we will not harm you. May I ask you to advise your group regarding their methods? The Liberators should be made aware that brutal tactics such as this will not help them to achieve their goals."

The Fauna stared for a moment, dumbstruck, but quickly ran away, leaving the suitcase behind. Ozpin inspected it. The entire contents were simply a large pile of red and white crystals. The red crystals would create the explosion, and the white ones would expand it. The entire street would have been levelled, let alone the library. A timer was situated above them, but no time was displayed. The Fauna wasn't quick enough to prime it.

With a sigh of relief, Ozpin sheathed his sword. He headed back in to the centre of the room, where Goodwitch had freed the hostages with a flick of her wand, dispelling the rune that binded them. They immediately began praising their Gods, and thanking the humans who had saved them.

Katil came down the stairs. He walked over to the humans with his hand in his pocket. He supposed he would have to thank them for saving these people and defeating the group which he previously belonged to. Not like a single defeat mattered to them. The Liberators had any allies.

"Tell me, young man, what is your name?" Ozpin spoke, intrigued by the Fauna who had disobeyed his fellow species.

"Katil. Katil Klinge."

'Klinge?' An odd name.

"I assume you defeated the leader of this group. Very impressive considering your condition." He indicated towards Katil's broken arm.

Katil was unsure of how to speak to this man. He was smart, sensible, didn't look down on Katil simply because of his species. He was used to addressing other Fauna or stupid, cocky criminals. Ozpin noticed how unsure of himself Katil was, so spoke again.

"It looks as though the Liberators will no longer consider you their friend. Is there somewhere you can go to avoid them in the future? I'm sure that they will not welcome you back with open arms."

Goodwitch shot a glance at Ozpin. She knew where he was going with this.

Katil thought to himself. He didn't have anywhere to go. The Liberators raised him since he was born, but he could no longer be with them if they would continue to pull stunts like this. Taking hostages and trying to destroy places just to show that they were worth giving a damn about? No, this wasn't what he wanted. He had his own ideals.

"Nowhere. Heh… I've got nowhere to go. Woe is me."

Ozpin gave a smile. What he was about to ask was completely justified. Katil had demonstrated that he was willing to put himself at risk to protect others. He even abandoned his former allies because he believed that these people were innocent. On top of that, he had managed to literally, single handedly, defeat a brute like Nosorog without any injuries.

Yes, he had the makings of a hunter.

"Mr. Klinge, how would you like to join Beacon Academy?"

* * *

Author's note- I don't know why I'm using so many different languages, but 'Klinge' is Danish for 'Blade.'

Also, I'm making up the effects of some of these crystals. I assume that a purple crystal will alter gravity, based on Goodwitch's fight in the first episode. Fare thee well!


	8. Chapter 7- WNPRBRYJ

Chapter 7- WNPRBRYJ

Author's note- Now, this is something I probably should have addressed sooner, but this fanfiction CURRENTLY takes place in the early days of the characters joining Beacon. I may eventually skip ahead so that it takes place at the same time as the actual show, but it may be a while before that happens. That way, I can include the early lives of some of the side characters like the bunny girl.

Also, R.I.P Tom Clancy, one of the greatest authors to have lived.

* * *

"Kill 'em all! RUN 'EM ALL OVER!"

Nora and Ren were sat together in JNPR'S room, with Ren being taught how to play a video game.

"Nora, I'm sure the point of the game is to finish missions, not run over innocent people" Nora ignored him and carried on shouting orders.

"Get the rocket launcher! You're at 5 stars! The military are sending tanks! KILL THEM ALL!"

Ren put down the game controller as the rest of their team entered the room. Both pairs had woken at different times, and Jaune and Pyrrha had only just returned from the cafeteria. Pyrrha was the first to speak.

"We should get ready to leave. The others are about to leave for the Emerald Forest."

Everybody nodded, then looked at Jaune.

"…Eh… is there jam on my face again? OH! Right, heh, I'm the leader…" Jaune was still coming to grips with being a leader.

"Ren, you can go get the cage…" Ren got up and left to get a cage from the storeroom.

"Nora, you can…" Now that he thought about it, nothing else needed to be prepared. Pyrrha took it upon herself to help him.

"Our weapons and supplies, Jaune. We don't know how long capturing a Grimm will take, so we should gather as much food and water as we can.

Jaune nodded, and ordered Nora and Pyrrha to gather what they needed. Pyrrha should have been the leader. He would be clueless without her help.

Soon, JNPR was ready to join RWBY, and they left to join them at the entrance of the Emerald Forest.

* * *

Weiss was pacing restlessly, as the rest of her team were sat on the grass. Blake was reading the paper, which was detailing the events of an attempted destruction last night. The media sure jumped on this quickly if it only happened last night. Yang and Ruby were talking about various things.

"So, did you write to your friends at Signal?"

"Yep! Plenty of times, they always write back, heh…"

"Oh yeah? Do you tell them about all the awesome stuff you've done?"

"Y-yeah, you betcha! We write ALL the time."

"Oh, really? And what do they say to you?"

Ruby struggled to find an answer. Her 'friends' at Signal actually didn't write back to any of her 3 letters that she sent them since she joined Beacon a few days ago. At first, she considered that maybe the letters were late, but this hope faded with each passing day. She was sure that she no longer had friends at Signal. She didn't want her sister to know this, or she would just end up worrying about her.

Yang could see that her sister was hiding something. Ruby always avoided looking into her eyes when she did. Just as she was about to ask what the problem was, she heard footsteps behind them.

"We're not late, right?" Pyrrha asked as team JNPR arrived. Ruby quickly got up and welcomed them before Yang started to ask questions.

"Nope, you're right on time! So we gonna go trap us some monsters?"

Ruby didn't care that she had no friends at Signal. She was friends with a group of awesome people here at Beacon, after all.

"Right. We should try and formulate a plan beforehand. Perhaps Weiss and Blake should give us some instruction, as they have already captured a Grimm together."

The 8 friends gathered around. They had already seen Blake and Weiss in action, and decided that the simple tactic of luring a monster into the cage and ramming it inside would be the most effective strategy. Jaune cleared his threat, deciding that summarising the plan before starting would 'maybe' showcase him as a slightly competent and understanding leader. He made his voice as strong and commanding as possible. All he succeeded in doing was making himself sound ridiculous.

"So, in summary, we shall take our cages and head off into the forest as a group. Upon seeing our adversary, we shall lay our cages onto the ground, and we will all work together to lure it into it's box. This shall be repeated twice, so that both are cages are filled. Clear?"

Weiss was not amused by how Jaune was trying to be the commander of the group. Sure, Ruby was the leader of team RWBY and Jaune the leader of team JNPR, but they had no leader for when both teams were working together. She had no problems with Ruby being the leader of their team, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to try and lead this larger group. She quickly stood in front of Jaune.

"I have to say that a leader should be nominated for this task. As I have already trapped a Grimm, I believe that I should be the leader."

Yang didn't like the idea of Weiss being the leader.

"What about Blake? She trapped a monster too, y'know!"

Blake liked this idea even less.

"No, it's fine. Weiss can be the leader."

Jaune didn't like the idea of Weiss stealing his thunder.

"Wait, WAIT! B-but, I'm the one who summarised the plan! I'm the one who… uh…" Jaune was trying to find an argument for why he should be the leader. He didn't find one. Weiss took a demanding step towards him.

" Well, Jaune, maybe you SHOULD be the leader. That way, you can protect us all. That way, you can take all the credit for the capture of the Grimm. That way, you can show off to everybody had brave and strong you are."

"Heh… really?" Jaune's face lit up, while Weiss' suddenly dropped.

"…No."

Jaune lowered his head and stepped back, sighing as he was walked upon by yet another person.

*CLICK*

As everybody gathered around to get ready to enter the forest, Blake looked around to figure out where the clicking noise had come from. It seemed to come from Jaune.

* * *

Goodwitch had only just arrived back at the Academy from the 'trip' to Grand Library of Vale. She wanted nothing more than to rest, but the Headmaster had asked her to compile a report on their new student, who would be arriving tomorrow.( She was secretly angry with the Headmaster for allowing somebody to join when the school year had already started.) she noticed that an alert had activated on her tablet. She put her papers down and pressed the screen several times. It seemed that a student had activated a launch pad on the hill overlooking the Emerald Forest.

* * *

"Oh, OH! We need a team name! How about… RWBYJNPR? Or… JNPRRWBY?" Nora was suggesting possible team names.

"Nora, they aren't all that original." Ren stated. Nora quickly turned toward him.

"Oh yeah? Well YOU think of a team name then!"

"Okay then. What about… WYJBRNRP?

"Wyjbrunurp?" Nah. What about… BRYNRWP?

"Brynerwhip? I think you missed the letter 'J.'"

"Oh, yeah…"

As they were discussing this, Weiss picked up the cages and placed them next to Jaune. It was agreed by a majority vote that Weiss would be the leader.

"Jaune, you're in charge of the cages. You can deal with this simple task, correct?"

"L-look, I can manage it, ok? You don't have to hit me when I'm down, y'know." Jaune was still upset by how Weiss was somehow chosen as the leader.

Weiss took a few steps to his side.

*CLICK*

Blake heard the noise again. It seemed to come from Weiss this time, but she didn't notice.

"Jaune, I don't need to hear you talk back to me…

* * *

On Goodwitch's tablet, another alert appeared, indicating that another launch pad had been primed. She didn't know why 2 students would prefer to launch themselves into the forest instead of taking the normal entrance, but if they wanted to do this, she would oblige. She pressed the screen a couple of times, activating the launch sequences.

* * *

"…so if you have any problems at all with me being the leader, then just leave!"

*WHOOSH!*

As if in response, the launch pad underneath Jaune suddenly activated, sending him flying into the forest as he screamed like a girl.

There was a moment of silence, which Nora broke.

"YES! We can have team BRYNRWP!

It came to Blake's attention that the clicking noise she heard may have been the launch pads activating. Which meant that Weiss…

*WHOOSH!"

Before Blake could warn her, Weiss was sent into the air after Jaune, crying out in surprise.

There was another moment of silence as the rest of the group watched their friends fly into the air. Nora once again was the first to speak.

"…so, this is like, team PRYBRN now, right?"

* * *

Jaune closed his eyes as he approached the ground, hoping that he would land in a tree, or a bush, or anything in a forest that wouldn't break his neck if he landed on it at high speed. Actually, a tree would probably do that. He wished that Pyrrha had thrown her spear at him, pinning him against a tree like what happened during initiation. He was getting closer and closer, still hoping for that spear to hit his clothing.

…

…

…

*THUD!*

It didn't happen. He connected with something, but he couldn't see what it was. He was trying to figure out if he was dead or alive, and was pleased to see that whatever he hit had saved his life.

He was on top of… something. He was staring up into the sky, and used his arms to feel around. Whatever it was, it was soft… cold… and furry. It kind of reminded him of a Grimm… uh oh.

Jaune got up with a cry, reaching for his sword. He scrambled around to face the Grimm he had landed, which probably wouldn't be too pleased.

The Grimm he had landed on was still on the floor. It was colossal, about 10 metres in height, with red vein like arms and an ugly, scrunched up face. It didn't move at all. Maybe it was knocked out? Jaune prodded it with his sword. No response. He felt relieved as he didn't have to fight this thing. It probably would have killed him in no time at all.

He took in his surroundings. The entire area looked as though somebody had rooted out every tree in the area with a bulldozer. Trees were toppled over, many laying on the floor like a Grimm had gone on a rampage. Or maybe the Grimm on the floor was using them as toothpicks. Either way, this part of the forest was completely ruined.

Jaune decided that the best thing to do was find everybody else. As he was about to leave, something white caught his eye.

*WHAM!*

Before he could react, Weiss slammed into him from the air. They both went skidding across the ground, one on top of the other, until they stopped when they collided with a tree. For a moment, they did nothing but groan from the pain. The Weiss shot onto her feet and leaned in on Jaune.

"You insufferable IDIOT! Do you have any idea how far we are from the others?"

Jaune slowly got back onto his feet.

"How is this MY fault? If you didn't try to be a jerk and prove that you were a better leader than everybody else, we wouldn't be here! And how did you get launched as well?"

"I stood on a launch pad when I was putting you back in your place!"

"Putting me in my place? All I did was say that I could manage holding a couple of cages and you had to start shouting about how if I should leave if I didn't want you as the leader! I didn't do anything wrong!"

Weiss noticed that Jaune was no longer holding the cages.

"And where are those cages now?"

"They're… ah, well, you see… They may have been left with the others."

"Oh, you MORON!"

* * *

Team 'PRYBRN', as Nora had labelled them, were all running to where the pair had landed, although they were still a couple of minutes away. The path was quite safe, as they had encountered no Grimm. Ren had taken it upon himself to carry the cages, but they agreed that they wouldn't try to capture anything until everybody was together.

Although they were in a hurry, something made them stop for a moment.

They faced an enormous crater. The entire clearing they were in had been dug out, and the dirt pushed to the side. It was ridiculously neat, like an excavation team had dug it out. Blake stepped forward.

"It's too neat for a Grimm to have done it. Somebody purposely dug this area out, like they were looking for something."

Yang shrugged.

"Well, they probably found it. C'mon, let's go find the others!"

They crossed the crater, unaware that it was Ozpin and Goodwitch who had been here.

They were coming close to where they predicted Weiss and Jaune and landed. They were looking around constantly, hoping they hadn't broken their necks upon landing.

* * *

"Look, I'm sorry! It doesn't matter, they're probably bringing the cages to us right now, so just calm down, okay?

Weiss turned away from him, rolling her eyes. She now faced the goliath of a monster on the floor.

"Did YOU do this?" Weiss was surprised that Jaune could be in the presence of a Grimm without being torn to shreds.

No, it was already dead when he landed on it, Jaune thought.

"Y-yeah, sure did! It was no match for me, heh…"

She had her doubts. He wasn't above lying to impress a girl. It didn't matter at all, though, So long as it wouldn't attack her, she didn't care who killed it.

Something was watching them. Weiss could feel it, and when he saw how Weiss suddenly tensed up, Jaune had the same feeling. They looked around, trying to find their would-be assailant.

2 beady red eyes peered out from the bush. The 2 humans were looking around. Did they know he was here? They had weapons. Were they the ones who killed his mom? He could hear more footsteps, and knew that more humans were coming very soon. Maybe they would kill him as well.

"Over here!"

Weiss and Jaune jumped towards the source of the voice, their weapons pointed towards it. They lowered them when they saw it was just Ruby and the others.

"Hell yeah, team WNPRBRYJ is back!" Nora shouted excitedly.

"Winperbridge? That has a nice ring to it, I'll admit." Yang agreed.

Weiss was pleased to see the cages in Rens' hands. They were about to need them, she felt.

"Put them down, quick! Something's here!"

They must have known he was here. They were spreading out, weapons in hand. They were going to find him. He knew it. He couldn't just leave though, he couldn't leave his mom's body like this. He was going to fight them.

WNPRBRYJ heard rustling from the trees. Well, they were practically bushes now, as most of the trees were on the floor. They readied themselves, and Ren lifted the latch off of the cages. It was time to capture a Grimm. The monster that appeared, however, didn't look like a monster at all.

It was tiny. Barely half a metre in height. There were dogs bigger than this thing. Its arms were a faint red colour, but the rest of it was black and covered in fur. The 'monster' heavily resembled the beast that lay on the ground, but without a scrunched up face. It reminded Ruby of a Beowolf, but not nearly as threatening. Actually, the beast was kind of cute.

The tiny Grimm ran forward on all fours at the Yang, who was closest. She didn't even move as its head connected with her leg, ramming her with all its might. Yang bent down and picked it up with both hands, like someone would hold a puppy. It struggled against her grip, but could do nothing more. Ruby stood next to her, watching it.

"Am I the only one who thinks it's kinda cute?" She tried to pet its head, but pulled her hand back when it snarled at her.

"It still has a bad attitude." Ren pointed out. Weiss, wanting to be out of the forest as quick as possible, decided that it would be best to just put it in the cage.

"Are you done admiring it? Put it in the cage."

Yang obliged, and as she was about to go to the cage, the tiny Grimm jumped out of her hands and ran to the giant body on the ground, cowering behind it.

Attacking the group was a mistake. He couldn't fight all 8 of them. The one he attacked didn't feel a thing. He wished his mother was still alive. She would have killed them and protected him. She was dead, though, and was trying to behind her body as if she could still protect him. All he could do now was just wait for the group to finish him.

The team watched the child run behind the corpse of the fallen Grimm. It was now quivering in fright.

Ruby was the first to make a move. She knelt down next to the Grimm and patted its head, trying to calm it down. She could tell that the body of the giant Grimm used to be its mother, and was still near it because it couldn't bear to let her go.

A lonely child. Ruby knew what it felt like to be one.

The baby Grimm stopped shaking when the one in black and red petted it. She was being nice? She wasn't going to kill him? That made a welcome change. He nuzzled her, feeling like somebody actually cared about him. These weren't the people who killed his mom, no way.

Ruby picked the child up and held it against her.

"Sorry, but… I don't think we should take this one."

Yang understood immediately. Her adopted sister wanted to protect the child as it was in the same circumstances Ruby was once in.

"You get it, right sis?"

Yang nodded.

"Yeah, I get it. But what can we do with it? That thing can't survive on its own.

The pair were pacing back and forth. The child had gotten comfortable in Ruby's arms, and was falling asleep. Ren made a suggestion.

"What if we find a group of Grimm to leave it with? It's possible that his own species would try and take care of one of their own." Now, Nora made a suggestion.

"OR, we could make him a home!"

"Nora, this isn't a game where you can build houses out of dirt blocks. There would be all sorts of complications involved with building him a home, not to mention it would hardly shelter him from the cold."

Nora gave an audible "aww" as Pyrrha stepped forward.

"I'm sorry Ruby, but I don't believe we can help it. We can't watch it all the time. We can't protect it from the other monsters, and we don't even know what it eats. I'm sorry… but I don't think we can do anything for it."

Blake was waiting for Weiss to say something, but to her surprise, Weiss was completely silent. Blake was expecting her to order Ruby to put the child in the cage, or something along those lines. Ruby's eyes were starting to well with tears when Jaune stepped forward.

"We could take it with us."

Everybody looked at Jaune. Ruby was the first to retort.

"What? No! It's a child! Who knows what Professor Port would do it if we took it to him!"

" No, wait! I mean we take it with us back to one of our Dormitories. It can't survive on its own in the wild, and who'd think that students are protecting a Grimm by keeping it in their own rooms?

Everybody looked at each other. They hadn't expected Jaune to be the one to make a suggestion like that.

"You mean, keep it like a pet? That's completely ridiculous! It's perfect!" Yang exclaimed. Pyrrha wanted to apply some logic to their current situation.

"Before we go ahead with the idea of keeping a Grimm as a pet…" She never thought she would say that sentence in her life. "… we should consider some things. Like food, or actually bringing it into the academy undetected."

Ruby liked this idea. She didn't want to let the child die, and this way, they could keep an eye on it.

"We could figure out food, easy! We could just get some food from the cafeteria each day, like at breakfast or something."

"That's not what I meant, Ruby. I'm quite certain that Grimm prefer to eat human flesh."

"Oh, yeah? This one doesn't. Look, all it's doing is sleeping, not eating me! It'll probably just eat whatever we bring it. I mean, I'm sure that Grimm HAVE to eat something else, right? All of the Grimm in this forest never eat humans, because nobody ever dies in this place!"

That was a good point. Seeing as humans never die in the forest, the Grimm must have another food source.

"But Ruby, how can we get the child into one of our dorms? Somebody is bound to take notice if we walk into the Academy holding a Grimm."

The one hitch in the plan. (Other than the fact that Grimm probably aren't house-trained.)

"Using the cages." To everybody's surprise, it was Weiss who had spoken.

"The cages? How?"

* * *

Headmaster Ozpin was taking a stroll across the Academy grounds, trying to consolidate everything he knew about the Shining Artefacts. He was currently at the entrance, walking with no destination in mind, where several students were having their own conversations. It was quite relaxing.

There wasn't actually a whole lot to know about them yet. Still, he had a feeling that he would be learning more about them soon. Whoever had warned them with the note back in the Library was clearly trying to obtain the Artefacts as well, and if this was the case, they would no doubt end up knocking on Beacons' door.

They had 2 of the Artefacts, the Luminescent and the Shattered Mirror. He recalled when he found the Shattered Mirror. Glynda had never looked so shocked when he showed it to her, and he remembered that she bombarded him with countless questions.

All he told her was how and when he got the mirror, mainly because they were the only 2 answers he had for her. He had an idea of what the Luminescent was capable of, but the mirror was a complete mystery.

He remembered how he had heard of the Luminescent. A tip from somebody he had never expected to receive a tip from. They told him that the Luminescent was buried in the Emerald Forest, which nobody but Ozpin would have believed, purely because of who that person was.

As he turned the corner, he noticed that RWBY and JNPR were all travelling together, with a couple of cages in hand. Ruby wasn't wearing her cloak, which seemed to be thrown over one of the cages instead. Actually, it was ideal for them to be here. He wanted to talk to them regarding the new student. He sipped his drink, then approached them.

"May I have a moment of your time?"

Ruby looked at him with a squeak, while the rest formed around her, trying there best to hide the cages. It was incredibly obvious that they were hiding something.

"Is everything all right, Ms. Rose? You seem to be flustered."

"No! I mean YES! Everything is fine!"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. She was trying to avoid looking at him. She was a terrible liar, but he didn't ask anything about it.

"I wanted to speak with you regarding a new student who will be joining us tomorrow."

Yang took over the conversation before Ruby accidentally said something stupid.

"A new student?"

"Yes. Although it may be odd for somebody to join when the academic year has already started, I allowed him entry as I believe he could make an excellent hunter. This does, however, pose some problems regarding his accommodations. Team JNPR, would it be fine if this student were to move into your dormitory?"

Ren, Pyrrha and Nora looked at Jaune to make the decision.

"Eh… sure. Well, as long as he's not crazy or weird or anything."

"I assure you, he's not." Ozpin lied.

"Well, good. Is he actually gonna join our team?"

This is where Ozpin had some difficulty. He had put in some thought about where Katil should be placed, and it was only about 10 minutes ago he had thought of a solution.

"He will not be in a team per se. Instead, he will simply be your support throughout your time here. He will join you in your lessons, will fight alongside you in battle, and will give assistance to any teams in need. This way, he will gain the benefits of team work without disrupting a teams balance."

The way everybody saw it, that pretty much was the same thing as being on a team, with the exception that he might help other teams every now and again.

"That is all. Have a nice day."

The group carefully walked away, still trying to cover the cage. Ozpin could have sworn he saw it rattle for a moment. Maybe he should inquire about its contents later.

As he started his walk to Professor Port's office to ask about how his investigation a couple of days ago went, he saw a girl with rabbit ears run past him, crying while trying to hide her face.

"Is something the matter, Miss Scarlatina?

The girl stopped at his words, then turned around, trying to find someone. Whoever she was looking for wasn't there… or maybe she was actually checking to see if somebody was still following her.

"N-nothing, Sir."

The girl walked away, some tears still falling down her face. She stopped for a moment, trying to figure out if she should tell him something. She decided not to, and was about to leave again, but Ozpin called out to her.

"My door is always open to students in need. Please see me if something is bothering you."

The rabbit-eared girl heard him, but didn't want to tell him that she was being bullied. Bullying only got worse if the bully finds out that you told somebody about it. They get a kick out of knowing that you need somebody to help you. Besides, there was no way to stop bullying. Even if the Headmaster did confront the bullies, he wouldn't be capable of doing anything drastic. After all, they were here because they were capable, and he wouldn't want to risk losing any students, would he?

Velvet Scarlatina walked on, knowing that she would end up being bullied again at some point soon.

* * *

Team WNPRBRYJ (the group name was actually sticking.) briskly walked along the corridor, trying their best to avoid raising suspicions. Unfortunately, the child was now freaking out as he was still in the cage, making all sorts of noises and banging the sides of the cage. Several other students gave the group funny looks as they were so bunched together, but others actually noticed the cage moving. They didn't want to know what it contained.

They were almost there…

Professor Goodwitch. She just left her office, which was situated closely to the student's dormitories.

Goodwitch noticed the students, but wasn't interested in talking to them. She was more concerned with her own tasks. She needed to meet with Professor Port to find out the results of his investigation, and assumed that Ozpin was already with him… Did that cage just rattle?

She wanted to know what the cage contained, but stopped herself from asking when she realised that it probably contained a Grimm. After all, it should have been the assignment that Port had set them a few days ago. Nothing to concern herself with.

The group and Goodwitch walked past each other. When she was out of view, they all sighed with relief. She had no idea that the cage contained a Grimm. They had finally reached their rooms, which were directly opposite each other.

"Actually, who's gonna keep it?" Yang asked. It was a point they hadn't settled on yet. Ruby started.

"Well, I guess we'll keep it if Blake and Weiss don't have a problem with it."

"No objections" Blake answered.

Ruby looked at Weiss, expecting her to say something on the contrary.

"No objections."

That was a surprise. Ruby thought that she would have major issues over sharing a bedroom with a Grimm. Yang spoke again.

"Well, that settles it. Oh, except that we still have to actually capture a couple of Grimm for Professor Port."

Everybody had almost forgotten that they went to the forest to capture some Grimm. They would have to do it tomorrow.

RWBY and JNPR went into their respective dormitories. Yang took the cage into the room, and Blake followed her. Ruby and Weiss were alone in the hallway.

"You know, I wasn't expecting you to actually agree with something as dumb as this. Why?"

Weiss gave a sigh.

"Look, I just…" Weiss stopped herself. She was about to show that she was actually capable of emotion, so some preparation was needed.

"I just felt sorry for it. That's all."

"Aww… you ARE nice! Why aren't you like this all the time?"

"What? Ruby, I'm perfectly capable of showing niceness! It's just that the child has done nothing wrong, and yet it's ended up with no mother, or anybody to care for it, that's all."

There was more to Weiss' words than met the eye. Ruby had a feeling that despite her wealth, Weiss was quite lonely. Was it possible that Weiss' mother was dead as well? Although she was the heiress of a multi million Lien business, there were some things that money couldn't buy. Maybe they were more alike than Weiss wanted to admit.

They both entered their room, with Ruby feeling that she could understand Weiss just a little bit more.

* * *

Author's note- Before anybody gets any ideas, there will NOT be a Ruby x Weiss pairing. There won't be any same sex pairings, and no, I'm not a homophobe. I just don't think that those types of pairings suit the tone of RWBY. (Despite the fact that I've sworn a few times.)

Bloody hell, I've written over 20,000 words? That's a hell of a lot more than what I wrote for my English coursework. Bon voyage!


	9. Chapter 8- Coffee and saliva

Chapter 8- Coffee and saliva

Author's note- Joel Heyman voices Dr. Oobleck. He just became my favourite character.

* * *

"Peter, I trust your assignment went well?"

Ozpin and Professor Port were sat inside Dr. Oobleck's office, who they were expecting soon. The office was, quite simply, a mess. The green curtains were closed, blocking out the broken moon of the night sky. Dr. Oobleck gave very little regard to tidiness. The walls were white, or perhaps, they were supposed to be white, as various stains of coffee and who-knows-what were smeared across them. The lone desk to the side of the room was a catastrophe of papers and notes that had no organisation to them. A single mug sat in the centre of it, half-filled with coffee, although it hadn't been touched for so long that the liquid was starting to turn green.

Before Port could answer, the door slid open, and Ozpin and Port turned around to see Goodwitch instead of Oobleck. She gave the room a look of disgust. She only ever came to this office once, and vowed never to come here again due to its terrible state. Still, this was where the Headmaster wanted to meet. She held a notebook, which contained what little information they had.

"I'm glad you could come Glynda. I had hoped that the paperwork for Mr. Klinge wouldn't take too long."

Goodwitch sat down at a chair next to Ozpin, avoiding Port's eyes. She wanted to forget the advancement he had made on her recently.

"I am here because I wish to know more about the assignment set to Professor Port, as well as discuss the Artefacts. The paperwork for Mr. Klinge has been sent to the appropriate contacts."

Goodwitch kept her voice cold. She wasn't pleased with Ozpin either. Allowing a student to join during the Academic year was utterly ridiculous, seeing as the teams were already set in stone. It completely disrupted assignments for every teacher in the Academy, as they had to compensate for the fact that there was now a student who belonged to no team, and would help whichever team he felt like. What if Katil only decided to help a single team? He would receive credit for the assistance and pass the school year with little effort on his part.

Ozpin could sense the hostility in her voice, and decided to avoid the topic.

The door opened again, and this time Dr. Oobleck bounded in like a bat out of hell, looking like a blur. His appearance reflected that of his office. Which is to say, Goodwitch disapproved. With his unkempt green hair, half-tucked in shirt and opaque glasses, he looked more like a mad professor instead of a doctor. He held a mug in his hand similar to that of Ozpins'.

"Sorry, SO sorry for my lateness! I was forced to deal with a situation involving a Faunus and team CRDL, but I'm afraid that they won't stop harassing the poor girl. Dreadful, simply dreadful!"

"Please sit down, Bartholomew." Ozpin took a sip from his own mug.

Oobleck practically teleported into his seat behind his desk. The hyperactive Professor drank from his mug, then faced the others. They waited for Ozpin to start.

"We are here tonight to discuss our progress on the gathering of the Shining Artefacts. I shall begin with the information gathered by myself and Glynda."

Glynda passed her notebook to Ozpin, who cleared his throat and turned to the first page.

"As you may have heard, Glynda and myself have been to the Grand Library of Vale. Before its attempted destruction, we had found a book which may have once detailed the abilities of the Artefacts. Unfortunately, pages were torn from the book, preventing us from gaining it's knowledge. The only information gathered included basic facts regarding the Luminescent, of which we already know of."

Goodwitch took this pause to explain the note found in the book.

"A note was found in the book. It said 'to those who seek the Shining Artefacts. Cease, or your life will end. This is not a threat. It is a promise.'"

Ozpin nodded.

"Indeed, it seems as though we are not the only ones attempting to find these Artefacts. Whoever would go as far as to promise us that our life would end may already have knowledge on their abilities. It is entirely possible that they may find themselves at this Academy to take our Artefacts, the Luminescent and the Shattered Mirror.

Professor Port saw this moment as the ideal time to ask a question that had been on his mind for a long time now.

"Ah, Headmaster, I mean you no disrespect, but you have yet to tell us how you came across the Shattered Mirror. May you please impart on us this knowledge?"

Ozpin sipped his drink.

"The Shattered Mirror…"

Goodwitch already knew how he obtained the Mirror, and couldn't quite believe how silly this sounded.

"… was a gift from an old friend."

Oobleck, who was drinking at this moment, suddenly spat out his drink, showering Goodwitch in coffee and saliva. She shot a glare at the Doctor, and was tempted to snatch the congealing drink on his desk and pour it over his head.

"M-my apologies Professor Goodwitch, I had no intention to-"

"Be quiet." Goodwitch had no emotion in her voice as she took a piece of paper and wiped herself down, secretly hoping that this paper was important to him.

Oobleck, intimidated by her icy demeanour, slinked back in his chair and allowed Port to take over.

"A gift, you say? Most interesting. Who is this old friend of yours, good sir?"

The part that Ozpin was dreading.

"I'm sorry, my friends, but I cannot disclose this persons' name. They have put themselves at great risk to give us this Artefact, I will honour this risk by protecting their identity."

The 3 Professors were disappointed. It didn't matter, as long as the Headmaster trusted this person, they would as well. They gave them one of the Artefacts, and this was all that mattered.

"In regards to the finding of the Luminescent, I should mention that this person also gave me the tip that it was buried in the Emerald Forest. I do not know how they came across this information, but I trusted them, and it led to the finding of our second Artefact."

Everybody was quiet as he spoke. In a matter of days, they had found half of the Artefacts, the powers of which they had no idea about.

"I feel I should mention that I have an idea in regards to what the Luminescent could do."

Everybody snapped their attention towards Ozpin. How long did he have this idea?

"I have yet to test this theory, but I will give you my thoughts on it, seeing as it is possible that the Artefact is under threat from a hidden adversary. I believe that the Luminescent…"

The professors waited with bated breath for the end of the sentence.

"…is a Dust absorption device."

Oobleck was so surprised by this that he jumped out of his chair, knocking the congealed drink into Goodwitch's lap. She reached for her wand in order to throw him out of the window, but Ozpin stopped her. Port was trying to come to grips with how this was possible.

"A dust absorption device? My good sir, be far from it for me to doubt you, but this cannot be possible. The Luminescent was found BEFORE the discovery of Dust."

"I have many theories regarding how it is possible, but this is currently irrelevant. We shall be putting this to the test soon."

The Luminescent, according to Ozpin, is capable of absorbing Dust, despite the fact that it was discovered before Dust itself. Goodwitch was now incredibly interested In seeing it in action. Although, there was one point that bothered her…

"Sir, I believe that you are incorrect."

All eyes fell on Goodwitch, who felt certain that what Ozpin said was wrong.

"On the night that we discovered the Luminescent, I had used powdered Dust in order to uncover the Artefact, which was buried under a large clearing. If what you claim is true, I should not have been able to use Dust near it."

Ozpin was deep in thought. It was his old friend who had told him about the powers of the Luminescent, and they hadn't been wrong so far. Was it possible that they were wrong about its powers? Or was there another explanation for why Glynda was able to use Dust that night?

It seemed that discussions revolving around Ozpin and Goodwitch had reached its climax, as no more could currently be said on the 2 Artefacts. Port cleared his throat loudly, and stood to announce what he had discovered on his own task.

"My friends, recently the Headmaster set me a task of grand importance, which I have dutifully seen through! I may have been late to a lesson as a result, but I believe the results were worth this set-back!"

Goodwitch disliked his theatrics, which she assumed he only did in front of the students.

"The Headmaster set me the quest of finding a powerful and large Grimm and trapping it inside the largest cage available at the Academy, which was no small feat even for an expert such as myself!"

"I had every faith that you could do this, Peter." Praised Ozpin.

This peaked Goodwitch's curiosity.

"Why, for what purpose? Does this at all relate to the Artefacts?

"Not quite. There is a purpose to the trapping of a Grimm this size, but we shall reveal this to yourselves and the students when appropriate."

Port nodded and sat down, allowing Oobleck to take over the conversation. The overall mood had become lighter, now that conversation on the Artefacts had ceased.

"Ah, now that we are no longer discussing the Artefacts, I simply MUST discuss with you the treatment of the Fauna in this Academy, which is simply atrocious! Why, just this morning I saw no less than 4 students harassing a young Fauna who was simply eating her lunch, and was forced to give extra essays to them! What on EARTH can we do about this? What CAN we do about this? They won't simply stop because of what I say, meaning…"

Oobleck had begun ranting about the treatment of the Fauna, with his words leaving his mouth at a blistering speed. It was incredibly difficult to make out what he was saying.

The group of 4 continued to discuss school work, trying to forget for a little while that the 2 Artefacts that they held could endanger the entire Academy, as well as themselves.

* * *

As night fell, team RWBY was busy trying to create bedding for the baby Grimm, who had fallen asleep on Weiss' bed. They were currently using the newspapers that Blake liked to read, and had stuffed them into a corner of the room. Weiss was compiling a mental list of things to take care of regarding their new roommate.

"What should we name him?"

As the rest of the team shoved the last of the papers into the corner, they all faced the sleeping Grimm, who had curled into a ball. Ruby was first to make a suggestion.

"How about…"

She looked around the room for inspiration, and saw the 'Achieve men' poster on the wall.

"Gavin?"

Yang burst out laughing, while Weiss seemed less amused.

"Ruby, I would prefer not to name him after a silly band member. Try again."

Blake had an idea that she was willing to put forward.

"Adam?"

The other girls looked at her and wondered where she got the name from. Yang wasn't impressed by the lack of originality.

"Nah, too ordinary. How about… 'Claws'?"

They took 'Claws' into consideration. Weiss was first to point out many things wrong about the name.

"First of all, it seems that he hasn't even grown claws yet. Second, the name goes against his seemingly peaceful nature, and third-"

Ruby pushed past Weiss, practically knocking her to the ground, and picked up the sleeping Grimm, who woke with a yawn.

"Yup! Claws is perfect!"

She placed Claws on the bed of newspaper, and he simply fell back to sleep.

"It looks like Claws is his new name." Blake stated. Weiss sighed and climbed into her bed, shaking off the fur that Claws left behind. The rest followed suit, and got ready for their first night under the same roof of a peaceful Grimm.

* * *

Katil wasn't having a good nights sleep. He was currently travelling on an airship headed for Beacon Academy, where he would spend the next year. He was the only one on the ship, except for the pilots, and was trying to get some rest on a sofa. Sadly, he wasn't a good flyer. The motion of the airship was forcing the contents of his stomach to his throat. They were still about 8 hours away, where he would arrive in the morning. According to the Headmaster, he would arrive in time to see some training battles take place, but he would actually have the day off in order to settle in to his dormitory, which should have been decided by the time he landed.

Katil was staring out of the window, thinking about what kind of people he would meet there. He was always confident, and had no problem getting along with others if they were kind, but he always retaliated against people who were jerks, like that Torchwick. Still, the things that some humans said always hurt him. 'Freak.' 'Sub-human.' Things like that always wounded him.

He was used to living with other Fauna, but considering his recent actions, they wouldn't want to be anywhere near him. He was now an with humans. This ought to be interesting. How many of them would no doubt discriminate him as soon as he landed? Maybe coming to this Academy was a mistake. No, going back to the Liberators would be a mistake. Going to the Academy was just his only remaining option.

He would just have to hope that the people he meets wouldn't be jerks.

* * *

Author's note- Wait, wait, wait. I came up with a name for a living thing that I didn't have to go on Google translate for? Feels weird.

But not as weird as writing 2 chapters that contain no fighting. This'll have to change.


	10. Chapter 9- Oh,yeah, the fight!

Chapter 9- Oh, yeah! The fight!

"This is just AWFUL!"

Weiss' screaming woke Ruby with a start. The first thing Ruby noticed upon waking is that a terrible smell permeated the room. It wasn't difficult for her to figure out what it was. The other 3 girls were gathered around Claws' bed, with Weiss already dressed. She leaned over the side of her bed to look down on Claws, who was sitting on the floor on his hind legs, looking as cute and innocent as possible. On his bed of newspapers, however, were his… 'leavings.'

"Maybe we should have put some more forethought into Claws' living arrangements." Blake casually stated. Yang was next to make a remark.

"Y'know, I never thought that Grimm actually did normal animal things, like pooping."

"Well, if it eats, it probably poops." Replied Ruby. Weiss didn't like their use of 'pooping.' Couldn't they use proper, grown-up words?

"Whatever the case, I'd rather not be the one to clean this mess. I trust that one of you will deal with this. We can discuss his toilet arrangements later." With a flick of her ponytail, making sure it was uneven with the rest of her straight appearance, Weiss left the room. Blake, Yang and Ruby quickly made a mad dash for their clothes to get dressed, not wanting to be the last one in the room.

Blake, the fastest of the 3, was dressed and out of the door in seconds. Yang was next, still putting on her blazer as she left. She didn't even bother saying anything to her sister, as she couldn't think of anything that would alleviate the awkwardness of her situation.

Ruby had just strapped on her cloak when she realised she was alone with Claws. Damn. Now she had to clean up after him.

She searched the bathroom for something she could use, but could only find a dust pan and brush. Well, it wasn't like they had poop cleaning utensils lying around the dormitory. In fact, she would probably have to get rid of the newspapers as well, seeing as they were now ruined.

Claws watched the girl with the red cape, tilting his head to the side. She had picked up his bedding and took it into the bathroom, where he could hear a flushing sound a moment later. He heard several more flushing noises, then Ruby reappeared empty-handed and knelt down next to him

"We oughta make a litter box or something for you, huh? You're probably hungry as well, aren't ya? Well, don't worry, I'll find you something nice."

Ruby left Claws in the room, closing the door behind her. Boy, having a pet was actually a lot of work, she thought. Was there anything else they had to take care of regarding the new roommate? ...Nah, she couldn't think of anything.

* * *

Everybody except Ruby was gathered in the cafeteria, making small talk over breakfast. Yang had already gotten a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for her sister. Jaune was discussing the baby Grimm with Yang.

"So, you named him yet?"

"Yup! Our new roommate is officially called 'Claws!'"

"Claws? Why? Does he actually have claws yet?"

"Eh… nope. But it sure sounds cool!"

Just as she said this, Ruby bounded over to her seat and started eating her cookies.

"Sis, you ever considered changing your diet? You're not gonna grow big if you only eat sweets for every meal."

With her mouth full, Ruby managed to sound a reply.

"Pfft, that's why I've got milk!"

Blake looked at Ruby over the top of her book.

"Did you wash your hands?"

Realising that she had handled poop without washing her hands, Ruby spat out the contents of her mouth and dashed towards the nearest bathroom, still spitting on the floor.

Something could be heard rumbling above them, and the Academy was enveloped in shadow as an airship passed above them, getting ready to land.

I imagine that our own new roommate is on board." Pyrrha remarked. Almost everybody had forgotten that somebody was joining the Academy today. Nora was particularly excited with the prospect of meeting somebody new.

"Ooh, what do you think he's like? I bet he's really strong, or really smart, or really handsome or something!"

"Yes, it seems you only need one of these traits to join this Academy." Weiss muttered to herself. She wondered how Jaune even ended up at this school, as she watched him drop his fork. As he bent down to pick it up, he somehow managed to hit his head off the table. Idiot.

"Attention students. Training battles will commence in 5 minutes. Please make your way to the assembly hall." Goodwitch's voice rang through the loudspeakers.

* * *

As every student finished their breakfast, the airship slowly descended onto the grounds of Beacon. Some students had ignored the reminder from Goodwitch and went to see the airship, wanting to get a glimpse of the new student they had heard rumours about.

As the airship landed, the doors opened, and Katil was able to get a good glimpse of where he would be spending the next year. Well, it was freakin' huge, if just one thing had to be said about it. He stepped outside, when he only just noticed that several people had formed around the airship, all of them staring at him.

Well, more accurately, they were staring at his ears. He felt his face burning up as he wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Their stares were penetrating, and just as he was about to get back into the airship to hide from them, Headmaster Ozpin had come into view, ushering the students to go to the assembly hall. That was a relief.

"Mr. Klinge, welcome to Beacon Academy."

"Uhh… thanks. Boy, they didn't welcome me with open arms."

"I'm sure it's not that you're a Fauna. After all, we already have several Fauna attending the school. It's most likely that they were just curious. I'm sure they will warm to you quickly."

"I'm sure." Katil didn't sound convinced. Ozpin took a sip from his mug.

"Please, follow me. I will introduce you to the people you will be sharing a dormitory with."

They both walked toward the assembly hall, with Katil being thankful for the fact that nobody else was visible on their route. Unfortunately, he realised that every student had, in fact, gathered at the assembly hall, their destination.

As they entered the room, the eyes of every student in the Academy had turned towards them. Ozpin continued towards the front of the room with confidence, and Katil followed, trying his best to ignore their glares. Everybody began whispering, trying not to make themselves. Katil, however, could hear everything they were saying.

"A Fauna. Gotta feel sorry for 'em."

"Hey, he's pretty cute."

"Tch, what a freak."

That last remark hurt.

Just as it seemed that Ozpin was headed for the stage, ('I swear to God, he better not introduce me to everybody in this bloody Academy') he turned sharply to the right, and came to a stop in front of a group of students.

"Team JNPR, I would like to introduce you to your new roommate. This is Katil Klinge."

The team of 4 turned to meet the new arrival. The team were all ready to introduce him, but they paused for a moment when they saw that he was a Fauna. Pyrrha was the first to stand.

"Nice to meet you, Katil. I'm Pyrrha Nikos." The 2 shook hands, when Katil realised who this person was.

"Nikos? PYRRHA Nikos? The celebrity on the Marshmallow Flakes box?" He was flabbergasted. He was attending the same school as a celebrity? Pyrrha seemed to lament that this was what she was recognised for.

"Yes, I… Please don't get hung up on that. We are all equal here. These are my companions." She stood aside so that the rest of the team could introduce themselves.

"Jaune Arc, courageous leader of team JNPR!" Although the blond boy gave a large grin and a thumbs up, it seemed as though he were trying to convince himself that he was the leader. The boy in weird clothes stepped forward with a lively looking girl next to him.

"Lie Ren. This is Nora Valkyrie."

"Can I touch your ears?"

Before Katil had a chance to acknowledge the question, the orange-haired girl suddenly pounced on him, trying to feel his ears.

"Wow… they're so soft!"

"What the HELL? They're not toys! Leave my ears alone!" Ren pulled Nora away before she pulled Katils' ears off. Some of the other students sitting nearby didn't know whether to laugh at the Fauna or feel sorry for him.

Ozpin felt satisfied that Katil would fit in with this group, although he had been expecting team RWBY to be nearby as well. Odd. Weren't the 2 teams practically always together?

* * *

Team RWBY had managed to sneak away from the cafeteria while carrying a tray of assorted food and snacks. Nobody had stopped them, as most people had either gone to the assembly hall or to see the airship landing. The tray contained a wide variety of things, including cookies, fruit, toast, and Jaune's half eaten bacon sandwich which Yang took when he wasn't looking.

As they entered the room, Claws immediately bounced off of Ruby's bed and started jumping up and down, wondering what would happen next. Ruby set the tray down next to him, and he spent a few seconds staring at it. He looked back up at them with a whimper, unsure of what all this stuff was.

"Go on, eat it. It isn't poison." Ruby was starting to have second doubts about feeding Claws anything they could find/steal from the cafeteria. Maybe his diet really DID consist of human flesh. Yang knelt down next to him and picked up an apple. She tried to bring it up to his mouth, but he seemed to pull his head back further and further, until he almost fell on the floor.

It was no good. He would have to eat this thing the yellow girl was trying to shove down his throat. He opened his mouth and Yang put the apple on his tongue, quickly withdrawing her hand in case he tried to eat it. He chewed it with his razor-sharp teeth, then spat it out onto the floor, much to Weiss' disgust. This was a lot different from the carcasses that his mother used to bring to him. He took a step backwards, getting ready to run in case another girl had something for him to eat.

"He didn't seem to like it." Yang stood back with the rest of the team. Blake stepped forward to try feeding him. She picked up the bacon sandwich and crouched next to Claws.

"Maybe he'll prefer something with meat."

Claws sniffed the item in the other girls' hand. This seemed a lot better than whatever he just ate. He opened his mouth, and Blake crammed it into his mouth. He chewed it for a few seconds, then swallowed. With his tongue out, he jumped up and down, wanting more.

"He wants meat, it seems. It would be natural, seeing as this would have been his diet up to this point."

This time, Claws stepped up to the tray, examining the food once more. Whatever was in the corner resembled what he had just eaten. He helped himself to the toast, swallowing it without even chewing. He then sat on his hind legs, looking satisfied. With an adorably cute yawn, he looked up at the girls. The one in white started talking

"So, we may have found he enjoys eating, but this only accounts for breakfast. How many times do we need to feed him everyday? Not to mention water and something for him to excrete into."

Ruby and Yang sniggered at the word 'excrete.'

"What? 'Excrete' is the proper word!"

Blake stepped forward with the problems she could also see.

"We should think about what to do with him during the day. On most days, we're out of the room when we go to lessons. We don't know what he'll do if he's locked in this room for too long without going outside."

So many problems, so little time. Ruby picked up the bowl of fruit and emptied its contents onto the tray. She filled it with water in the bathroom then put it down next to the window. At once, Claws crept towards it on all fours. As he approached it, he saw that it was only water, and he happily started drinking. Ruby put the tray on her bed, as she had an idea for how they could use it.

"Well, that solves the water crisis. C'mon, let's go watch our friends beat each other up!" Almost too happily, Ruby left the room, followed by the others. They hoped that Claws wouldn't make too much mess by himself.

* * *

Back in the assembly hall, JNPR and Katil had sat down near the stage. Although they had all sorts of questions to ask him, he only seemed interested in talking to the 2 girls.

"So, Pyrrha, I heard that you won the Mistral Regional tournament 4 years in a row. Pretty damn impressive."

"Ah, yes, although this was only because I faced the same opponents year after year, and we all grew stronger at the same rate. I did nothing special, really."

"Strong, cute, and modest, huh? I bet you've had a ton of suitors."

"W-what? That's… of no concern." Pyrrha turned back around, trying to shrug off the compliments he had sneakily given her. Katil turned his attention to Nora, who was slowly moving her hand to his ears.

"Look, Nora, I get it. You like my ears. Maybe you should go pull off some other Fauna's ears, I'm sure they won't mind."

"OOH, good idea!" At once, she got on her feet and ran off. It looked as though he accidentally condemned somebody to ear pulling. As he was about to shout out to her to stop, Ren put his hand out.

"Don't worry. She'll be back soon."

"You sure? She's probably gonna get hit."

"I know her. She wouldn't do anything malicious if it hurts somebody, including herself."

Sure didn't stop her from hurting me, Katil thought to himself. Jaune was the next person to speak to him.

"So, what you think of the team? Pretty cool, huh? You've got a celebrity, a strong, quiet guy, a cute girl with a giant hammer, and a fearless leader! Yup, no need to hide it. You think we're badass."

"You have a fearless leader? Who?" Katil only meant it as a joke, but Jaune slumped back in his chair. He felt bad, but as he was about to apologise, Jaune raised his hand.

"Nope, don't apologise. I know, I'm not that great yet."

"Eh, no I'm sure you ARE a great leader, just-"

His sentence was cut off by approaching footsteps. They all turned to see team RWBY sitting down next to them. Katil couldn't help but notice that they were pretty damn hot. The blond one was the first to notice him, but they all turned to him when they noticed he was a Fauna. He desperately wanted to introduce himself, but was stopped when the room darkened, and the stage lit up. The Professor he had met at the library came into view, holding a tablet device.

"Good morning students. Today's training battles will now begin."

The students were used to the drill by now, except Katil, and she said nothing more as the computer screens on the stage started selecting people. The one on the left started to slow down.

Ruby Rose, Cardin Winchester, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie…

Nora had been chosen. Out of the crowd of people she lost herself in, Katil could hear her shout 'yippee!' In an instant, she returned to the front, hoisted her hammer, and jumped on stage, giddy with the chance of fighting somebody. The second screen slowed down.

Dove Bronzewing, Velvet Scarlatina, Katil Klinge, Weiss Schnee, Cardin Winchester…

As a tall boy at the back of the hall stood up, the screen changed again.

Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha stood, picking up her weapons, Milό and Akoủo, and simply used the stairs. She went through possible attack strategies in her mind. Look out for the hammer, Jaune would probably say.

Katil watched the pair of girls face each other as the countdown to the fight started. Maybe he was putting too much thought into this, but wasn't making students beat the crap out of each other kind of… unethical? Didn't Ozpin foresee a small chance of death happening in these fights?

Ruby knew that this would be an interesting fight. A rough and carefree powerhouse against a more defensive and tactical fighter, who took opportunities as they presented themselves in her opponents' attacks. During initiation, she retreated when facing the death stalker alone, and when fighting it with the others, she struck it when it was vulnerable, then slashed off it's tail when it was staggered. Nora preferred to just smash it in the face.

"Remember, the aim is not to kill. If a competitors' weapon leaves the stage completely, this counts as a loss. If they are too exhausted to fight, you shall not attack them. If a person's aura reaches red, the fight will end." Goodwitch stood back into the shadows of the stage, leaving the countdown to start the fight.

3…2…1…

The trumpet sounded, and the fight began. With a large, kind of evil looking grin, Nora turned her hammer into a grenade launcher, and instantly started blasting away at Pyrrha.

She would be decimated in an instant, and even if she blocked the blasts, she would probably be sent off the stage. Instead, she ran towards the edge of the stage with the wall surrounding it, as the grenades flew past her head and into the distance. Some impacted the floor, creating a large pink explosion. The final grenade she launched was fired at Pyrrha as she ran near the wall.

She shouldn't have run near the wall, Jaune thought. The explosive radius from the grenades were immense.

The grenade flew into the wall near Pyrrha, who had tried to escape the explosions by circling around Nora. The explosion, as Jaune had predicted, caught Pyrrha, who was surprised that she was hit. She flew forward with a cry, thrown off guard, and landed next to Nora. The worst possible scenario. Her aura level instantly depleted by a third. Nora unfolded her hammer and jumped into the air, bringing it down upon her with a smile.

Pyrrha barely had time to roll away as the hammer impacted the ground, causing the entire stage to quake. Pyrrha scrambled to her feet as Nora fired the launcher on the hammer, easily allowing her to swing it around. She ducked, and considered herself lucky to not have her head swiped off her shoulders. As she rose again, she swung her spear towards Nora's head, trying not to use the point of her weapon.

Nora brought her shoulders forward and ducked her head, allowing her right shoulder to take the attack. Her aura level lowered, but only slightly. She jumped forward with her shoulder raised, barging into Pyrrha. Pyrrha couldn't compete against her physical strength, and could only raise her shield to 'try' and deflect a swing of the hammer, which Nora brought around as she was staggered. Pyrrha's shield instantly left her hand on the moment of impact. As Nora raised the hammer, Pyrrha swiftly and gracefully rolled out of harms way, and the hammer once again caused a large hole to appear on the stage.

An easy target, Pyrrha thought. She swiped her spear towards Nora's neck, using the side once again. There was no way she would lift her behemoth of a weapon in time to deflect the attack.

Nora was actually pretty smart when it came to using her hammer. Instead of wasting time by lifting it back up after the attack, she returned it to its grenade launcher state. Of course, it wasn't lighter, but it was much easier to wield as it was smaller. She swung the launcher as though it were still a hammer, and the two weapons collided.

Pyrrha was unprepared for Nora to actually use her weapon like that, although it probably wouldn't have mattered even if she was. She tried to keep a grip on her spear, but it left her hand just as easily as her shield when the weapons connected. It slid across the stage and stopped on the wall. She needed it back, but Nora was already gearing up for another attack. She flipped the launcher back into a hammer.

Pyrrha dashed for her weapon desperately, but was forced to fall to the floor as Nora swung her hammer horizontally, firing it at the same time. She didn't stop there. She used the momentum of her swing to point it toward the ground, and fired it once more, sending her straight into the air.

My, what a nice view. The assembly was dark, but she could still make out peoples' faces. There was Jaune. There was that Headmaster guy at the back. Ren was looking up at her. Heh, she liked Ren. He hadn't changed much since they first met… was she forgetting something? Oh, yeah, the fight!

Pyrrha was running for her life as Nora descended upon her, firing the hammer yet again. She somersaulted twice in the air as a result, and the hammer connected with the ground with earth-shattering results, the sheer velocity of it breaking the stage apart. The entire room shook, and Jaune managed to fall off his seat.

Pyrrha had fallen from the impact, with her spear just inches away from her. She grasped it and clambered to her feet, but was unsure of how to stop Nora from demolishing her.

Pyrrha formed her spear into a rifle. She had several bullets loaded, and hoped that they would be enough to keep her at bay. She aimed the rifle at her opponent.

Uh-oh. Pyrrha had a gun, and she couldn't form her hammer into a launcher fast enough to shoot back. Instead, she jammed the hammer into the ground she had just broken, and flicked it forward. Pieces of the ground shot forward, some of them flying toward Pyrrha just as she took the first shot. The bullet ricocheted against the rubble, and as she covered her face against the dust, she cried out in pain when Nora blasted herself forward, slamming her in the stomach with the handle of the hammer.

Pyrrha landed against the wall, shrugging off the pain. She hadn't expected Nora to be this capable of a fighter. If she stayed here, Nora could blast her to pieces. If she tried to shoot back, Nora would just throw more rubble. If she tried to use her spear, Nora would just smash her away. What could she do?

Against the wall. Yup, Pyrrha was screwed, Nora gleefully thought to herself as she brought the hammer behind her and ran towards her. She saw this move in a manga, and always wanted to try it out. She fired her final grenade, and the recoil made her spin while moving, like a tornado of steel. She inched ever closer to Pyrrha, who was now worried that she would be smashed into two.

This was perfect in every way. Nora was leaving herself defenceless. Pyrrha readied her spear, and as Nora came close enough, she rolled under her, sweeping her legs with the spear. Nora, completely focused on replicating the attack, fell to the ground with a 'oh crap', accidentally letting go of her hammer. It flew to the other side of the room, where team CRDL immediately evacuated their seats as it smashed through the wall and into the courtyard. A splashing noise followed by the sounds of quacking and fleeing ducks could be heard.

Nora was staring up at Pyrrha. Maybe trying attacks she had seen in manga wasn't such a good idea. The stage lit up again, and Goodwitch stepped out of the background.

"Congratulations, Ms Valkyrie."

Nora, and more importantly, Pyrrha snapped their attentions to Goodwitch.

"As you can see, Ms Nikos' aura levels had reached red long before she had completely disarmed her opponent."

She was right. Pyrrha's aura had reached red. It must have happened when Nora slammed her in the stomach, sending her to the wall. Nora had actually won, despite the fact she would have lost if the fight had officially continued.

"In a tournament style duel, the fight would have ended the instant somebody's aura reached red. I allowed the fight to continue to see if Ms Nikos would notice. Unfortunately, she didn't. If this were an actual fight, there is every chance you would have been killed.

Pyrrha was astounded. No more than that, she was actually angry.

"But… but… I could have beaten her! Her weapon had actually left the stage!"

Goodwitchs' demeanour was still completely calm as she addressed the student.

"Correct, you removed her weapon after the fight was over. However, this is irrelevant. You had already lost prior to this, when you were hit and forced against the wall."

"But in the Mistral Regional Tournaments, the fight would be over when a person's aura was completely gone, not when it was in the red zone!"

"Ms Nikos, this is not a Mistral Regional Tournament. Please, except your loss with dignity."

Pyrrha's jaw was wide open. Nobody had seen her so distressed. Nora had leapt to her feet cheerfully and bounced off the stage to talk to Ren. Pyrrha was still on stage, coming to grips with the fact that she had to lost, and to Nora of all people. Goodwitch addressed the students again.

"Training battles will end today due to the… current state of the stage."

The stage was a complete mess, thanks to Nora. Fractures split it apart, rubble lay everywhere, even spilling into the seating area. It would take some time to repair, no doubt.

Pyrrha snapped out of her confusion, and slowly joined the others, where Jaune was first to greet her. He wasn't quite sure what to say. If he had lost to Nora, he probably wouldn't care, but this was Pyrrha. She had won many fighting tournaments, and was considered one of the best fighters in the Academy. Losing must have been a shock, not to mention humiliating, since it was in front of the entire Academy.

"So… not a great start to the day. Welcome to my club. I happen to be the president, too!"

"I, ah…" Pyrrha was struggling for words. "It's no big deal. I'm sure I can get over this loss."

Yang had joined the conversation.

"That's the spirit! No need to get depressed, just try your best next time!"

"Yes, you're right." Although she knew Yang was right, she still needed to take some time to get used to the fact that she lost.

"I'm sorry, but… I need to be alone for a while. I'll rejoin you later to enter the forest."

Pyrrha walked away, passing Nora and Ren. Although she felt no anger toward Nora, she still didn't want to look at her for now. Ren spoke to Nora when Pyrrha was out of ear shot.

"Nora, you should speak to her later. You know that Pyrrha is the better fighter, right?"

Nora put her hands on her hips.

"Well, DUH! Of course I know she's better! She probably just wasn't trying in that fight, right?"

"I would say that she was holding back, unlike you, but her loss was probably a blow to her confidence. She may feel better if you acknowledge her abilities."

Nora gave a nod. She always listened to Ren.

The rest of the group were together, Katil included. Jaune was the first to speak.

"Let's just… give her some room. I sure don't wanna be near her if she snaps. I've got a hole on my hood where she pinned me to the wall on initiation day." Weiss remembered this event.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have attempting to flirt with 2 women at the same time."

"Ah, yeah, forgot I did that…"

Ozpin had been watching the fight from the fight from the end of the room. It was quite interesting, and although he shouldn't favour students, he had wanted Pyrrha to win. Ah, well.

He took a sip from his mug and left to attend his other duties.

* * *

Author's note- Hoo, it feels good to get that fight out of my system. Maybe I should have a fight at some point involving every member of the 2 teams.

I just got shivers from the thought.


	11. Ch 10-Tsunderes, philanderers and Grimm

Chapter 10- Tsunderes, philanderers and Grimm

Author's note- My apologies for my unruly lateness. Generally, I can fart out a new chapter every couple of days, but I've been without internet for almost a week.

Still, I have a double offering of chapters for your perusal, chock full of silly banter, plot advancement and pop culture references. Enjoy!

* * *

WNPRBRYJ and Katil (Nora was trying to think of a new name for the group.) found themselves in the Emerald Forest later that day, in order to capture a pair of Grimm. Pyrrha had spent some time alone, and although she seemed to have gotten over her earlier loss against Nora, she was still quieter than usual. Everybody tried to act as though nothing had happened, and turned to ask their new member some questions.

"Katil, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you break your arm?" Weiss asked the question. Katil was delighted that one of the girls had taken an interest in him.

"Well, Snow Angel, it happens to be a tale of woe and courage."

Weiss seemed to twitch slightly. Behind her, Jaune started to make hand gestures, although Katil couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.

"Did you just refer to me as 'Snow Angel?'"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm not insulting you or anything…" Jaune was now becoming agitated behind her, and was trying to mouth words while pretending to slit his neck. What the hell was he saying? Katil continued.

"It's just that you seem a bit… cold, from what I can tell. You kinda remind of a 'tsundere' character, y'know? A character who starts off uncaring and then warms up to… yeah, okay, your sword speaks for itself."

Weiss was pointing her sword at him. The universal gesture for 'shut the hell up.'

"I would rather be referred to as 'Weiss.' Do NOT make up silly nicknames." Weiss put away her sword and continued walking with the group. Jaune caught up to Katil.

"C'mon, when I called her that, she made Pyrrha pin me to the wall! Is it just me she hates?"

"Doubt it. You could have warned me that she was such a princess."

Weiss had heard that. Katil felt that he was in mortal peril as she snapped toward him with her sword raised. With a hand gesture, a rune appeared. Katil and Jaune let out incredibly girlish screams as pillars of ice rose out of the ground, trapping them from all sides. They got on their knees and held each other as they feared for their life, knowing that Weiss wouldn't show any mercy. She approached the newly formed ice cage.

"As of now, you shall refer to me as Ms Schnee, or 'ma'am'. You will not create any nicknames or talk about me behind my back. Is this understood?" Jaune didn't understand at all.

"But-but- I didn't do anything!" Weiss leaned toward him.

"Are you complaining? I could do a lot more than this, I should warn you." Weiss' tone told Jaune that he was in no position to talk back.

"Y-yes, ma'am." Weiss turned to Katil.

"And you?"

"Y-yes, Ms Schnee! It won't happen again, I swear!"

"Good." Weiss turned with a flick of her ponytail to rejoin the others, sheathing her sword. The ice collapsed, and Katil and Jaune let go of each other, feeling that they barely escaped with their lives.

* * *

Yang turned to see that Weiss seemed to be having a disagreement of some kind with Jaune and Katil. They'd be fine… Nah, they were about to be scarred for life. She and Ruby had separated slightly from the others, so that they could talk in private.

"Sis, be honest with me."

Ruby turned to face her sister, who suddenly seemed serious. This was rare, and indicated to Ruby that she was about to ask something she wouldn't like.

"Yeah?"

"Your friends at Signal. You're not actually talking to them anymore, are you?"

Ruby was surprised that her sister had caught onto this.

"H-huh? Of course I'm talking to them!" She turned to face the ground, avoiding Yang's eyes.

"You haven't written to them for a few days now. Not to mention you haven't gotten any letters back from them. So I'm thinking that they don't actually want to talk to you, am I right?"

Ruby was silent as she struggled for an answer. There was no point in trying to hide it now.

"…No. I talked to them one last time on my last day at Signal." Ruby tried to fight back her tears. She was the leader of a team, for crying out loud. She wasn't supposed to cry. She carried on, knowing that Yang would want to hear the entire thing.

"When I told them that I was going to Beacon, they all just walked away from me. One of them called me a back-stabber as she left." Ruby's tone was monotonous. Yang couldn't help her sister until she had heard everything.

"A back-stabber? Why? So, you moved on to greener pastures, what's the big deal?"

"I-I promised them that we would be together forever, y'know, best friends for life. But when they found out that I was leaving Signal, they knew that I broke that promise. I tried to write to them when I first came to Beacon, but they didn't write back. They…"

Ruby choked on her words.

"They don't care about me. They think I'm better than them. Why would they want to speak to me?"

Much to Ruby's surprise, Yang suddenly swept her up in a hug, almost suffocating her.

"Sis, why didn't you just tell me? You don't have to suffer in silence, especially when your sister lives in the same room as you!"

Ruby let go of her tears while trying to say something.

"But-But- they're my friends! And they don't care about me!"

"Nuh-uh. They're not your friends if they just forget you like that. Screw 'em, I say! You've got plenty of friends right here!"

Ruby stopped crying. Although she didn't want to just forget the people she had spent many years of her life with, Yang was right. She couldn't hang onto the fact that they used to be her friends. They didn't want to know her anymore, and she would have to move on, despite how much it hurt to do so.

Yang let Ruby go, and tried to pat out the wet patches on her shoulders.

"Thanks, sis." Ruby dried her eyes as Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to thank me. It's what an older sister's supposed to do! C'mon, let's go catch everybody up!"

They both ran back to the group, unaware that Weiss was done screwing with Jaune and Katil and was listening in on them.

It would be nice to have an older sister to confide things in. Unfortunately, close family members couldn't be bought. She generally had nobody to talk to except other members of other upper-class families. They weren't the sort of people who actually cared for one another, they only cared about using one another for their own gains. Sadly, she would never have a sibling.

Her mother died before she could have another child.

* * *

For Ren, Nora, Pyrrha and Blake, travelling through the forest was a silent affair. Blake and Ren were naturally mellow people, but the tension between Pyrrha and Nora was so thick that they felt compelled to actually start a conversation. Ren was the first to try.

"Nora, have you thought of a name yet?"

"Nope! No, wait, yes! How about… GRYPKRNJ?"

"Gripcringe?" 'Cringe' definitely fit the current tension. "You forgot Blake."

"Oh, right, Blake… Yeah, I can't think of one."

They walked in silence once more. After a minute, Blake put her socialising skills to the test.

"Pyrrha, have you read any books lately?" This was the only question she could think of. She preferred to rely on others to start a conversation.

"No."

Well, that went nowhere. Maybe she try asking Nora something.

"Nora…"

"Yup?"

Blake could think of nothing that she could relate to Nora about. Nora was loud and excitable, Blake was quiet and mellow. Nora liked to spend her time with others, Blake liked to spend her time with books.

"… Never mind."

She tried to talk to Ren instead. They had a few things in common. She waited a few moments before asking so that she wouldn't seem desperate to start a conversation.

"Ren, did you happen to read yesterday's newspaper? I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on the attack on Vale's library." She tried to sound as casual as possible, but she knew that what she actually said was WAY too formal. Ren didn't seem to mind.

"I heard about the attack. I know that the people who had stopped it disappeared immediately afterwards, and that a group of Fauna were arrested, but nothing more."

Well, Ren actually gave a proper response. She tried to continue the conversation as best she could. She wouldn't have minded hearing about his opinion on the Fauna. Nobody knew that she was a Fauna, so an answer from a friend would help her decide if she should tell them her secret.

"Do you believe the Fauna are evil for trying to take hostages like that?"

"There's no such thing as an evil Fauna. There are only evil people, regardless of their race. The ones who tried to take hostages could easily be considered evil, but they don't represent the entire race. Katil, as far as I know him, seems like a nice guy, even if he is a philanderer."

"HEY! Philandering only applies if the women I sleep with are married!"

Katil and Jaune had caught up to them. Ruby, Yang and Weiss were further behind them.

"Still, thanks for appreciating the fact that I'm not a jerk like those Fauna at the library."

Katil had neglected to tell them that he was at the library a few days ago. He thought it would be less complicated than explaining what actually happened there.

"Hey, what are we actually doing here? This seems like a nice place for a stroll, but you've probably got those cages for a reason." Katil indicated the cages that Ren was holding. Ren answered him.

"We need to capture a pair of Grimm as an assignment for Professor Port. We'll trap them in these cages."

"Trap Grimm? What the hell kind of teacher asks his students to go into a dangerous forest filled with monsters to capture Grimm?"

"A weird and generally uncaring one."

The rest of the girls rejoined them, with Ruby's eyes slightly red. Jaune took notice of this.

"Say, uh… you okay Ruby?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. No, better than that, I'm great! Don't worry about me!" Yang stepped forward.

"We just had a sister-to-sister moment. Nothing to worry about."

Jaune nodded, then they carried on with the rest of the group. Nora suddenly jumped up excitedly.

"KWNPRBRYJ!"

Everybody stopped and looked at her. It took her this long to add a 'K' to the start of their current name? They ignored her and carried on. Katil walked alongside Ruby.

"What's a 'Kwinperbridge? Sounds like a bad card game."

"It's only our group name. Say, what's your weapon?" Ruby was particularly excited about meeting somebody new since it meant she could see a new weapon.

"My weapon? Ahh…"

How did he end up at Beacon Academy, the leading school in Grimm slaying and hunter/huntress training, without a proper weapon?

"Well, cutie, it seems that I 'may' have forgotten to bring a weapon, heh…" Ruby blushed slightly at the word 'cutie,' but ignored it. That was what every other girl was doing when they talked to him.

"You FORGOT to bring a weapon? Did you leave it at home?

"Let me rephrase that. I haven't got a weapon. I've got a bunch of crystals, though." He felt into his pocket, where he carried a supply of crystals. He took what little Lien he had left after he left the Liberators and bought as many crystals as possible from a Dust store. For some reason, he didn't even think about getting a weapon.

"You know you're gonna get wrecked like a deer in a wood chipper, right?"

A deer in a wood chipper? What goes through this girls' mind?

"Pfft, I'll be fine. Besides, we're only capturing a couple of Grimm. It's not like we're gonna be in an actual fight here."

Everybody at the front of the group came to a stop. Then, the members in the middle stopped. Ruby and Katil, who weren't looking where they were going, bumped into Yang and Weiss respectively. Weiss turned and shot a glare at Katil similar to the one she gave him earlier. Frightening.

"What's the hold up?" Asked Yang. Ren and Blake, who were at the front, were carefully peeking into the darkness in front of them.

A group of red eyes were staring back at them. KWNPRBRYJ wasted no time in drawing their weapons, and Ren set the cages down, opening them. Katil wasn't sure what his role in this would be, so he took a step back, holding a crystal in his pocket in case he would need to fight. Jaune decided that a leader was needed in this situation, before Weiss tried to take command.

"Let's just wait for them to attack."

"Right. We don't need to fight them. If they come to us, we can ram them into the cages, like how Blake and Weiss did it." Ren replied, everybody nodding in agreement.

The group could feel the presence of more Grimm nearby. Pyrrha's aura told her that more were behind them and to the side. They were surrounded.

"Katil, can you fight in your condition?" She looked at his broken arm, covered by his coat.

"Don't worry, I can hold my own. Are we killing these things, or gonna try and trap them first?" The group looked toward Jaune.

For a moment, Jaune forgot that he was a moron. He forgot that he had never won any fights in the training battles. He forgot that he could somehow scream like a girl. All he focused on was the incoming threat, and how to achieve their goal without any casualties. He knew what to do.

"Pyrrha, Nora, and Yang. Take the rear and kill the Grimm behind us." They nodded and stepped to the back.

"Weiss, Ruby, cover our left, Ren and Blake, take the right." The 4 stepped into position.

"Katil, we're gonna trap the Grimm in front of us. We'll dodge their attacks then force them into the cages, got it?" Katil nodded. He assumed that Jaune was the comic relief of the group. It looked like he was wrong.

The attack happened from all sides simultaneously. Everybody raised their weapons to defend against the multitude of claws and fangs. Jaune now got a good look at the types of monsters they were facing.

Multiple Beowolves and Ursas. Nothing they couldn't handle. There were exactly 2 Beowolves facing Katil and Jaune, which was perfect. Katil rolled out of the way of a strike while Jaune deflected another with his shield. The impact wasn't nearly as intense as when Yang punched it.

Katil fell to the floor, expertly sweeping the Grimm of its legs. He wanted Jaune to help him put it into a cage, but he was distracted by the other adversary. Katil left the Grimm on the floor and rammed the other Grimm, which was about to swipe at Jaune. As the first Grimm was getting to its feet, the pair took this chance to try and forcibly pull the second one into a cage. Katil punched it in the back of the head first, knocking it unconscious. They practically hurled it into the cage just in time to separate as the other Grimm leapt forward, trying to strike their heads.

* * *

"Ruby, I trust you won't run in front of my sword, like last time" She recalled how she almost skewered Ruby on initiation day.

"Don't worry, I've come a long way since, like, 5 days ago. I'm WAY better!"

"I'm sure." Weiss wasn't convinced, but decided to trust the younger girl with fighting alongside her.

3 Ursa's stood before them, rearing their heads as they swiped with their enormous claws. The pair of girls both dashed around the opponents with impressive speed. Weiss raised her sword, the barrel of which rotated and changed to a blue colour. Ruby fired her Scythe at the ground, sending her into the air and above the Ursa's.

Weiss dug her sword into the ground, which created a cascade of ice aimed at the Grimm. It ensnared 2 of them, but the other lumbered towards her, as though it were about to crush her with its body. As Weiss pulled her sword out of the ground to avoid it, Ruby landed on the Ursa, digging her Scythe into the back of its head. She fired, blasting the Ursa's head of its body. Ruby leapt back onto the ground as it fell inches away from Weiss.

* * *

Blake and Ren said nothing as there opponent came into view, and they knew that they were in for a rough time. It was a Diabelic, identical to the one they saw in Port's lesson. They both knew that this Grimm had an incredible healing rate, which countered their weapons as they were designed for speed, not damage like Nora's hammer.

They both jumped above the charging monster at exactly the same time, with Blake leaving an 'after image' of herself. They both knew that the only way to kill it would be to simply attack it until it either lost too much blood too quickly, or until it ran away.

Together, they struck at the Diabelic before it turned around. The blades on their weapons cut into its flesh, but they stepped back when it turned around, trying to stab them with its horn. It lunged forward, and they separated. Like its brethren in the lesson, it decided to wait for a moment, in case it's opponents were going to attack. Ren had an idea for how to kill it.

"Blake, try and keep it still." Blake nodded, and gripped her gun. She fired at the beast, which turned around and charged at her. The bullet wounds were healed instantly. She jumped into the air with her sword raised, and Ren put his weapons away, as he would only need his fists for this.

Blake descended upon the Grimm, piercing it with her sword to such an extent that it plunged into the ground as well. She back-flipped away, leaving the sword where it was, so that the Diabelic could only struggle on the ground, pinned in place. Ren dashed forward with his palm held back.

He thrusted his palm into the struggling Grimm. The air around it seemed to distort, then its entire body looked like it was deflating, starting at the point of impact, and ending at the other end of its body. Time seemed to slow for a split second, then the creature exploded, showering the area in body parts. Ren's aura had completely blown it to pieces. It couldn't heal itself in this kind of state.

Blake recovered her sword from a body part as Ren sank to the ground, exhausted. She was about to check on him when he got back up.

"I'm fine. We need to help the others." They nodded and joined in other fights.

* * *

Pyrrha, Nora and Yang had 5 Ursa's to deal with.

"Heh, no problem!" Yang exclaimed as she jumped towards one, planting her fist into its face. It fell backwards, knocking another to the ground. An explosion from Nora's hammer sent her into the air with a care-free smile, who then landed while smashing the hammer into the fallen Grimm's face. Another Ursa reared back to swipe at her. Pyrrha came running forward with her shield raised.

"Nora, be careful!" The attack was successfully blocked, and Pyrrha rammed her spear into the Grimm's knee. With a roar of pain, it sank to the ground, where she then stabbed it in the throat. The 3 remaining Ursa's clambered forward, all of them bearing down on the pair.

Yang fired her gauntlets to propel herself into one of them, slamming her fist into its spine. Pyrrha took this chance to escape the circle of Grimm, while Nora fired her hammer, launching herself into another, hitting it in the jaw with the handle. She circled around it, so that it was in line with the Grimm Yang was dealing. With a grin, she pulled her hammer back and fired it. Yang was repeatedly beating her foe down, before noticing what Nora was about to do. She smiled as well, and wound back her fist. She fired the gauntlet at the same time as Nora, and their 2 opponents were sent flying into each other. They both impacted against each other, breaking practically every bone in their bodies.

"Nora, look out!" Nora was turning around to see what she should be looking out for, when Pyrrha suddenly pushed her aside with her shield raised. Nora landed on the floor and looked up to see Pyrrha was deflecting a strike from the final Ursa, which she had forgotten about. Her spear had become a rifle, and she jammed it into the Grimm's chest as she fired, puncturing it.

The Grimm was still alive, and tried one last time to kill Pyrrha. It swiped at her, and she raised her shield to block it, but she was sent to the floor with a cry of pain. As she landed, she rolled, bringing up her rifle and firing again. This time, she shot it square in its forehead, and it came to the ground with a quake. Nora jumped to her feet with a grin.

"Man, that was AWESOME!" She looked at Pyrrha, who was clutching her shoulder. Her hand was covered in blood. Nora and Pyrrha's eyes met, and Nora realised that Pyrrha had pretty much saved her life when she pushed her to the ground. Yang had joined the battle with Ruby and Weiss, leaving Nora to try and find the right words to say.

"Umm…" Nora was clueless. She prided herself on being carefree, but this was one of the rare times when she had to be serious. She approached Pyrrha, struggling for words.

"So, heh, thanks for saving my ass."

"Thanks isn't needed. I'm just happy to be of help. I don't resent you for beating me in our battle earlier, Nora. You were just stronger." Her grip on her wound tightened, as she tried to fight the pain.

"What? Hell no! You weren't fighting properly, I know it! You kept trying to hit me with the flat side of your spear, when I kept trying to break you to pieces!"

"Ha, so you noticed… It doesn't matter. That fight is in the past." She crouched down, losing the strength to stand. Nora knelt next to her.

"Yeah, it DOES matter! We're gonna fight again, and you're gonna beat me, I know it! But first, I'm making sure that you stay alive, like how you just saved me." Nora supported Pyrrha, who threw her arm around her shoulders. The fight was practically over.

* * *

Weiss raised her sword and dashed toward a Grimm that was frozen in place. It tried to raise its arms to defend itself, but Weiss had accurately stabbed it in the leg. As It lowered its defence, she slashed it repeatedly with the tip of the sword, killing it.

Ruby and Yang tag-teamed the remaining foe, both of them firing their weapons and launching themselves into it. Ruby slashed it vertically as Yang broke it apart, splitting it into 2. As the parts fell to the ground, the sisters high-fived each other, proud of their synergy.

Everybody looked towards Katil and Jaune, who were joined by Ren and Blake. The final Grimm was no trouble now, although it was still putting up a fight.

Jaune rammed it with his shield, trying to force it into the other cage. The other 3 put their weight behind him, and they all inched closer to the cage. Despite the strength of the 4 of them, progress was slow.

"To hell with this. Guys, brace yourselves." Katil pulled out a white crystal from his pocket as the others looked at him, wondering what he was about to do.

Katil, with the crystal in hand, rammed it into the Grimm's face. The others who were still trying to push it from different angles found themselves being blown away as the crystal shattered. The unfortunate Grimm was thrown into the cage, which tumbled along the ground and had its lid slammed shut. Everybody picked themselves up.

"Katil, could you exercise caution when using those crystals, please?" Ren politely asked him, as he dusted himself off.

"Hmm… no."

The group looked towards Nora, who was supporting an injured Pyrrha. Jaune in particular was shocked.

"Oh no, no no no. God no." He came over to support her as well. Pyrrha tried to show that the injury was nothing., but her voice was getting weaker.

"Don't worry Jaune. The injury isn't serious. I'll just need some rest."

"But, you're bleeding! You can't just sleep it off!"

Pyrrha smiled despite how much it hurt.

"Jaune, some suffer much worse injuries than this everyday. I have no right to complain."

Jaune had an idea. It was pretty obvious to everybody that Pyrrha was in pain, and she would need medical attention soon. They were still a long walk away from Beacon, and she was still losing blood. However… what if she never needed medical attention? What if he could heal the wound right now?

"Okay Pyrrha, I'm gonna try something." He didn't wait for her to reply as he had already placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What? No, Jaune! You're not experienced enough!"

Jaune wasn't paying attention to her now. Everybody was watching him as he focused, trying to command his aura. A shimmering light slowly enveloped him as he closed his eyes, letting his aura flow through his hand.

It was a weird feeling. Time seemed to slow as he opened his eyes, witnessing his aura leave his own body, being transferred into Pyrrha. The stream of blood slowed to a trickle, then stopped all together. The wound began to close, little by little. It was almost completely healed…

The aura ceased. Her wound was completely gone, as though it had never happened. Jaune grinned, knowing that he had succeeded. He had actually healed somebody!

…So why was everybody looking at him in shock?

He realised what had happened. He put a hand to his shoulder, the same shoulder that Pyrrha previously had an injury on. Blood was seeping through his clothes. He now knew that he hadn't healed Pyrrha.

He had just absorbed her injury. Her injury was now his injury.

Jaune's consciousness began to fade as somebody tried to support him. He wasn't sure who. His vision was too blurry. He could make out Pyrrha's gasp of shock, before he could no longer stand. He could do nothing as the blackness enveloped him.


	12. Chapter 11- 10 methods of pain

Chapter 11- Ten methods of pain.

Author's note- I feel I should mention that anything in italics is a flashback or memory of some kind. That is all.

* * *

_"Dad, are you a hero?" _ A young Jaune looked up at his father. He looked down at his son. Jaune could barely make out his face, as it was obscured in shadow. A sword in a white sheath hung from his waist.

"_Jaune, people have different perceptions of what a hero is. Some think I'm a hero, others revile me." _The young Jaune didn't know what 'revile' meant, but guessed it was bad.

_"I think you're a hero! How can I be like you?" _The older man crouched down next to his son.

_"Son, if you want to be a hero, don't do the things I did, as I've done some bad things in my time." _He sighed deeply, and Jaune was confused.

"_But you're a hero! How can you do bad things?_

His father didn't answer the question, and placed his hands on his sons' shoulders.

"_Jaune, to be a hero means to help others. No single act will turn somebody into a hero. You must never bring harm to others, and you should always help those in need, even if it means endangering yourself. One day, you will come to understand that I'm not a hero. I can only hope you will still respect me when you discover the truth."_

Jaune was now even more confused.

_"You're not a hero? Why?" _

His father got up, lifting his sword off his waist. He ignored the question his son asked him.

"_One day, I'll give you this sword. My father used it, and his father before him. I hope you'll use it to become a hero and protect others, Jaune, unlike me."_

_"Huh? Why can't you protect others? Why aren't you a hero?"_

His father didn't answer him. He started walking away, leaving his son standing by himself.

_"Dad? Where are you going? Dad?"_

To this day, Jaune didn't know the truth behind his father's words.

* * *

"Maybe he'll wake up if I punch him."

"Nora, violence isn't the answer to everything. We'll just have to wait."

"Wait? Ain't nobody got time for dat! Just let me slap him!"

"No. He's recovering from a grievous injury he absorbed from Pyrrha. Attacking him won't help."

Jaune's consciousness was starting to recover. He could make out pieces of a conversation between Ren and Nora. He opened his eyes with a groan to see the faces of his 3 team members, along with Katil. He was lying on a bed, covered in blankets. Pyrrha leaned over him as his vision came back to him.

"Thank God… I was worried, Jaune."

"Heh… A girl was actually worried about me? Great…" He meant to say it with more enthusiasm, but was too weak to do so. He looked over to his shoulder, which was now bandaged. For some reason, he was incredibly cold, even with his clothes and blankets. He recognised the room he was in as the hospital ward at Beacon, which everybody was shown on a tour of the Academy.

"The hospital? How'd I get here without, you know, bleeding to death?"

With a smile, Pyrrha stood aside so that Katil was in front view. He stepped forward.

"Yours' truly can answer that. I slapped an ice crystal against the wound it freeze it and stop the blood loss. Ice crystals, people. Don't leave home without one." Pyrrha spoke again.

"The proper measure should have been to cauterise the wound with fire, but we were worried that this would have caused more damage. Katil came up with the next best solution, and froze it."

Katil tried to act as casual as possible.

"Yeah, I know, it was a great idea. So, Pyrrha, does me being a life-saver make you want to go out with me more or less?"

Pyrrha completely ignored him and faced Jaune.

"Jaune, I want you to promise me something." Jaune looked into her eyes, waiting for her request.

"NEVER, do something like that again. If you were to die while trying to save me, I couldn't live with myself."

Jaune was completely surprised.

"Wait, what? But… I couldn't just let you suffer like that! I had to at least try!"

"Jaune, Katil could have just frozen my wound, which means you put yourself in danger by trying to heal me for no reason."

"But Pyrrha, I didn't know that I would absorb your wound. I figured I would just heal you, like how I healed myself on initiation day. I never figured that I would end up bleeding to death instead."

This time, Ren stepped forward.

"Jaune, you would have tried to help her, even if you did know how your healing worked, wouldn't you?"

"W-well, yeah. Even if Katil could help her, I can't just let somebody be in pain like that. I've gotta help them, no matter what."

Pyrrha put a finger to his lips.

"That is exactly what you cannot do, Jaune. You are the leader of this team, and you are not supposed to put yourself at this kind of risk to help another."

Jaune was completely expressionless as he responded to Pyrrha.

"I don't care what I'm supposed to be like, Pyrrha. If somebody needs help, I'll do whatever I can to help them. How a leader is supposed to act means nothing to me, and if you don't like that…"

Jaune didn't want to say it, but he needed to show Pyrrha that he was serious about his morals and ethics.

"…then just leave, 'cus I'll never stop helping people. My Dad taught me that, and I'll always stand by what I think is right."

Everybody was silent. They had never seen Jaune so serious before. They were used to him being goofy or silly, and this was completely new to them.

Jaune had expected Pyrrha to just turn around and leave there and then, but instead, she smiled at him.

"I… never knew you were like this, Jaune. I still think you shouldn't have helped me earlier, but… thank you. Thank you for helping me, even if it wasn't needed. You have a good heart, Jaune, and I think Ozpin made the right decision by appointing you as leader. I won't leave the team, because I consider you, Ren, Nora and Katil as a friend."

"Hell YEAH we're friends!" Nora shouted.

"Wait, we're friends?" Katil was surprised that she had willingly accepted him as a friend since their short time together. They had only met this morning.

Jaune sighed with relief. Pyrrha was one of the first friends he made at Beacon. She had supported him since the team was made about a week ago, and was glad that she would stay. He probably couldn't manage without her.

"Thanks, Pyrrha. I couldn't do anything without you, y'know."

"And I'll always be on hand to help you when you need it, like you helped me."

Pyrrha and Jaune shook hands, a sign of their friendship.

"So, how long have I actually been out?"

"Not long, about 3 hours. Team RWBY stayed for a while, but they needed to feed Claws and organise some things regarding his accommodations."

Katil stopped staring at a pretty nurse and turned back towards them.

"Claws? Who's that?

Team JNPR looked at each other. Katil didn't know about their new 'friend.' How would he react to knowing that they had a Grimm as a pet? Maybe he would run to Goodwitch or Ozpin and tell them about their secret. Ren took it upon himself to answer the question.

"Claws is their pet gerbil. They needed to sort out a cage for him."

"A gerbil? Called Claws?" Katil was immediately suspicious. The way they glanced at each other told him that they were hiding something. He tried to trick them into spilling it. Well, he would try and trick Nora into spilling it.

"So, Nora, what does Claws look like?'" She bounded with excitement.

"Oh, he's really cute! He's got black fur and-" Ren cut her off.

"Claws is quite a generic gerbil. Many of them have black fur these days."

Katil wasn't believing a word.

"Uh-huh. Could I see him?"

Pyrrha quickly took over the conversation.

"I'm afraid you would have to ask team RWBY. He's their pet, after all."

"Sure. I'll bring it up next time I see them." He couldn't keep the suspicion out of his voice, which alarmed everybody. Jaune changed the topic.

"So, did you give Professor Port the Grimm?"

"Yes. It seems that we were the first 2 groups to give them to him." Pyrrha answered, thankful that they weren't talking about Claws.

"Great. What've we got tomorrow?"

"Professor Goodwitch will be instructing us on our weapon lockers, but after that, we have no lessons for the entire weekend." Nora was particularly excited.

"YES! Nothing to do but sleep for a really long time!" Ren wanted to correct her.

"Remember Nora, we have an essay to write for Dr. Oobleck. The weekend is the ideal time to write it."

"An essay? Yeah, as if I'd do it over the weekend! I'll just do it at the last minute, as God intended!"

"I thought you were an atheist?"

Their conversations continued for a while, before everybody except Jaune left for their dormitory. Jaune had to spend the night in the hospital to recover, but this gave him time to reflect on what he had done on his first week at Beacon.

1- Got pinned to a wall by Pyrrha.

2- Was hit in the face by a tree branch by Pyrrha.

3- Got flung across a forest by a Death Stalker.

4- Acted as a cushion for Weiss when he attempted to save her from a deadly drop.

5- Was thrown across a chasm by Nora.

6- Was punched in the face by Pyrrha.

7- Stuck a pencil up his nose as a result of being punched in the face by Pyrrha.

8- Was beaten into submission by Yang.

9- Was trapped in a cage of ice by Weiss.

10- Absorbed Pyrrha's injury and almost bled to death.

Maybe this week hadn't been so kind to him. He couldn't help but notice that almost all of these things were done to him by girls. Hell, there was a chance that the Death Stalker was female. His Dad once told him that all girls look for is confidence. Apparently, these girls just wanted a torture doll.

He didn't really mind being abused like this. After all, they had all become his friend, right? Well, that made the pain worthwhile, he figured. Every stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet, and he was glad that he became friends with these particularly weird and awesome strangers.

He slept through the night, hoping that the next people he met were just as great as these guys. He was unaware that he would end up meeting Cardin Winchester tomorrow.

Ruby and Yang were sat in their bedroom, while Blake and Weiss had gone down to the cafeteria to get something for Claws to eat. Ruby sat on the floor playing with Claws, while Yang was lying on her bed reading 'Ninjas of love,' Blake's book.

* * *

"WOAH! Blake actually reads this stuff?" Ruby turned to face her, with Claws in her lap. Yang read out loud an extract of the book.

"Ryu looked Ayane straight in her eyes. 'Ayane, my love for you burns hotter than the heat of the sun.' Ayane looked up at Ryu. 'Ryu, my love for you burns brighter than the shine of the stars in the midnight. But how can I know that you will not leave me for Kasumi, who I know has passionate feelings for you?' Ryu drew closer to her, wrapping her in his arms. 'I will prove to you that you are my only true love.' Ryu kissed Ayane, as his hands started to unfasten her kimono. The lovers could no longer hold back their desires. They fell onto the bed, where Ryu…"

Yang stopped mid-sentence, but continued to read.

"HOLY-"She stopped herself from swearing, her eyes still wanted to know where this was going.

"W-what? What did Ryu do?"

Yang thought it best not to tell her younger sister.

"N-never mind. You'll find out in a couple of years." She examined the cover and blurb in more detail. Nobody would have guessed that Blake was into this sort of thing, she thought. On closer inspection, something came to her attention.

"Wait, this isn't a novel, it's a por-"

She was interrupted by the door opening, and Weiss and Blake stepped inside, with Blake carrying something in tin foil. Yang quickly threw the book below her, and onto Blake's bed before she could notice they were reading it. Blake noticed Yang moving when she came into the room, but wasn't concerned.

"We should arrange a more convenient schedule for feeding Claws. We were lucky the cafeteria was open at this time."

Claws hopped off Ruby's lap and started jumping up in front of Blake. She knelt down next to him, and unwrapped the tin foil. Inside was a beef sandwich. Claws ate it out of her hand, then sat down with a yawn. Ruby petted him, and he curled up into a ball.

"I don't think he actually needs a bed. He seems kinda fine like this." Claws was already asleep when Ruby was done talking. Weiss sat on her bed, looking at him.

"Well, that solves one problem. However, we still have the issue of his toilet arrangements." Ruby leapt to her feet and dashed into the bathroom. Her voice could be heard inside.

"Well, fear not! I've got a solution!" She practically teleported back out holding something. It was the tray they had carried up to the room earlier this morning. It was crammed with leaves.

"I took a bunch of leaves when we were in the forest this morning. This is now his litter box!" She set the 'litter box' down in the corner of the bathroom. Weiss was slightly impressed by Ruby's initiative.

"I suppose you will be handling his excretion then. Excellent." Weiss took off her shoes and sat further back on her bed, pulling out a book from her bedside cabinet.

"Eh, wait! I don't mean I'll always be handling his-"Ruby was cut off by Yang, who suddenly developed an interest in talking to Blake.

"So, Blake, you read any good novels lately?" Blake had sat down on her bed, and was surprised that Yang was trying to start a conversation with her.

"I'm afraid I haven't had time to read any novels. All of my reading time is spent on study books from our teachers."

"I see…" Yang rolled on her bed so that nobody could see that she was silently giggling.

Blake realised that she had carelessly left her 'book' on her bed. She needed to take more care with it. She shoved the book under her pillow, out of sight. She wouldn't know what to say if somebody else read this thing. Her reputation as a mellow, sensible girl would be ruined instantly.

Ruby climbed onto her bed.

"So, what's everybody doing over the weekend?" Yang was first to respond.

"I'm probably gonna sleep through the entire thing. Blake, you gonna go find somewhere private to read?" Blake was almost thrown off by the question.

"I probably will. I have a lot of studying to catch up on."

"Yep, I'm sure you do…"

Ruby leant off the side of her bed to look down at Weiss.

"Weiss, can you help me with Dr. Oobleck's essay tomorrow?" Weiss didn't look away from her book as she answered.

"No. I already have plans for tomorrow."

"You do? What are you doing?"

"If you must know, I will be joining my friends in an excursion to the library. We will be revising the topics we have covered with Professor Goodwitch."

Ruby, along with Blake and Yang, was surprised.

"Friends? You actually have friends who aren't us?" Weiss was visibly annoyed by the question.

"Yes, Ruby, I do have other friends. This isn't hard to believe, is it?"

"Eh, no, no it's not. It's just… when did you get other friends? What are they like?"

"We met on the first day of school, on the airship. They also come from similar backgrounds to mine."

"You mean… they're rich?"

"Exactly, although I believe that wealth does not decide how a person behaves." Yang snorted in disbelief.

"I'm sure it doesn't. Your money sure didn't give you an attitude problem, right?"

Weiss ignored the question.

"Ruby, I will help you with the essay the day after."

The girls ended their conversations, and settled into their beds for the night.

* * *

Goodwitch sat in her office, observing the Luminescent on her desk. It hadn't changed at all. The feather still shimmered with an unearthly glow.

The door opened, and Ozpin entered without knocking. This didn't really annoy her. For some odd reason, he had a coffee maker with him., and in place of his mug, he was carrying his cane.

"Good evening, Sir." She didn't question why he was carrying something like that.

"Good evening, Glynda."

Ozpin joined her side, and set the coffee maker down on her desk. Tonight, they would test the capabilities of the Luminescent, and Ozpin had an idea for how this could be done.

"Peter and Bartholomew will be joining us shortly with the crystals." Glynda nodded in response.

"Do you still believe that the Luminescent is a Dust absorption device?"

"Yes, and I have a theory for why you were able to use Dust on the night it was discovered. I believe it can be easily explained when you examine how the Artefact in question functions."

As Ozpin finished his sentence, Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck entered the room, also without knocking. Port was heaving a large case behind him. Goodwitch was annoyed by their lack of manners.

"It is rude to enter without knocking." As they were about to reply, Ozpin spoke.

"My apologies, Glynda. I also entered without knocking."

"…Never mind, then." The 3 men were slightly confused. She was fine with Ozpin entering without knocking, but was about to lecture the other 2 teachers about it? It was probably just the fact that he was the Headmaster. Port placed the case on her desk, opening it.

"Here you are, good Sir. As many crystals as will be required for the testing process."

"Excellent work, Peter. As we are all present, I shall explain my theory on the powers of the Luminescent." As he spoke, he picked up the Luminescent and placed it on the floor in front of them. He also grabbed a white crystal from the case.

"As I have mentioned, I believe this Artefact is a Dust absorption device, despite Glynda being able to use powdered Dust in its presence on the day of its discovery."

Ozpin gently lobbed the white crystal at the Artefact. It shattered on the ground, creating a rune that sent it into the air. The Artefact hadn't affected the crystals' power at all, despite its apparent ability to absorb Dust. It simply floated back onto the ground.

"I can explain this with a demonstration. Bartholomew, may I refill your coffee?"

The question was so sudden and so random that they simply stared at him for a few seconds. Oobleck snapped out of his daze and gave Ozpin his coffee mug.

"Ah, you WILL be careful with that mug, won't you sir? It happens to be one of my favourites."

"Have no fear. Glynda, I must apologise to you in advance for this."

Ozpin placed the mug (Which looked exactly the same as every other mug in Beacon.) on the coffee maker, and pressed a button. Coffee filled the mug to the top. Glynda wasn't sure what he was apologising for.

"Sir, I don't believe you have done anything to offend me."

"Not yet. As you can see, the mug is filled with coffee. What would happen if I were to press this button again?"

"Presumably, coffee will pour once again, but there is no need to do this. It is already full."

"Indeed, it is." Without warning, Ozpin pressed the button. Coffee flowed out of the machine and onto the filled mug. Much to Goodwitch's annoyance, the coffee spilled onto the desk and floor. Why, exactly, did he do that? How did this relate to the Luminescent?

"Sir, was there truly a need to ruin my desk-"

…She realised what he was getting at. The filled mug and the Artefact were actually similar. Port and Oobleck were quite confused.

"My good man, I'm afraid that I haven't the foggiest clue of what you are trying to tell us." Goodwitch was the one to answer Port.

"It's full."

"Eh?"

"The Luminescent. It's full. It has a limit to how much Dust it can absorb, just as this mug has a limit to how much coffee it can hold."

Ozpin nodded.

"I believe that the Luminescent acts as more than just an absorption device. I believe that it stores the energy, and keeps it until its user sees fit to use this energy."

Every answer brought with it more questions, Oobleck thought. He spoke quickly, allowing words to leave his mouth as he thought of them.

"So, your understanding is that it stores energy created by Dust, but this poses the question of WHY a person would choose to do so. Why not simply forget the Artefact and just use the Dust crystals themselves? Or is there a special reason as to why storing Dust in the Artefact is preferable? This also brings the question of how a person can access the stored energy-"

"Bartholomew, every question has an answer. We shall find the answers to these questions tonight."

The 4 professors gathered around the Artefact. Goodwitch asked the first question.

"I believe our first order of business is to discover how to release the energy stored in the Artefact. Do you know how this can be done, Sir?"

Ozpin adjusted his glasses.

"I only have a single idea for how this is done. I shall warn you all now, this may be dangerous."

"How so?"

Ozpin unsheathed the sword in his cane. As he did so, he shut the case of crystals, to prevent them from exploding in case his next action had severe consequences.

"I have taken inspiration from certain students at this Academy and came to the conclusion that taking a stab at it may yield results."

Everybody was silent as Ozpin plunged his sword into the Luminescent.

* * *

"Katil, is this truly all you own?" Pyrrha asked as Katil entered their dormitory carrying a small bag. He had spilled the contents onto the sofa, where he would be sleeping for a few days until a bed had been arranged for him.

"Yep…" He had wanted to say more, or deliver a witty remark, but he found himself sighing. Everything he owned was on this sofa. A group of books, a broken watch, and a trophy.

Without asking, Pyrrha picked up the trophy and looked at what Katil had done to gain it. A small description read: 'For mastery of Hand to hand combat, we give Katil Klinge this award." There was no date, nor a mention of who gave him the trophy.

"You're a 'master' of hand to hand combat?"

Katil responded as he placed his books on the nearest bookshelf.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean much right now. Martial arts aren't that great against man-eating monsters, sadly, unless you've got a gauntlet or something. Like that blonde babe earlier. Besides, I can't exactly use martial arts right now." He indicated his broken arm.

"It's still an impressive feat. Who gave you this award?"

"Ah, just my old combat school." He lied. The Liberators were the ones who gave him the trophy. They always awarded physical prowess.

Pyrrha set the trophy down and looked at the broken watch. She wanted to know why he kept it, but felt that she had intruded on his personal life too much already.

Katil finished organising his books. Pyrrha looked at their titles, and one of them caught her eye. It was called 'Advanced Dust crystal use and creation processes.'

"You like to use crystals, I see. What kind of crystals do you prefer?"

Katil turned to answer, when…

*BANG!*

The noise was deafening, especially for Katil. Everyone in the room came to the window to see where the explosion had come from. It seemed to originate from Goodwitch's office, the entirety of which was covered in a shimmering white light. It dissipated, with smoke still creeping out of the windows and cracks in the wall. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that a part of the circular wall had been blown out of the office, much to their amusement. Some silhouettes could be visible, but they couldn't make out who they belonged to.

"Personally, I like crystals that can do THAT."

* * *

Ozpin and the 3 professors were recovering from the blast. They still had a ringing noise in their ears by the time they were all standing, and they all took in the mess that stabbing the Luminescent had made.

Goodwitch's office was in an even worse state than Oobleck's, which was saying a lot. The lights had broken, with glass showering the floor. Every desk and table had been flipped onto the floor, with their contents spilled across the room. The worst part of her office, however, was a missing part of the wall, which one of the desks was teetering precariously over.

Goodwitch dusted herself off and faced Ozpin.

"Sir, I shall be sending you the cleaning and repair bills for this office. I recommend you take more caution in your actions in the future."

"Fair enough." Ozpin had nothing to say that could alleviate the consequences of his action.

Oobleck had recovered, but instead of picking up the Artefact, he instead sprinted over to his coffee mug. It was in pieces, and surrounded by coffee stains. He got down on his knees, his lower lip quivering.

"NOOOOOOO!" He lamented the loss of his favourite coffee mug.

Port was still unsteady on his feet. He supported himself against the part of the wall that wasn't broken.

"Compose yourself, my young man. We shall have time to mourn your horrific loss at a later date."

Oobleck took off his glasses to dry his eyes.

"Indeed.*Sniff* Our focus should be on the Artefact."

He got up, but instead of moving toward the Luminescent, he went to the other side of the room. Here lay the other Artefact In their possession. The Shattered Mirror. It existed as pieces of a broken mirror, hence its name. As Oobleck picked up a piece, the others were dragged up along with it, as though they were all joined by a piece of invisible wire. Oobleck set it down on an upturned table.

Ozpin was the one to pick up the Luminescent. It no longer glowed, and looked like a common feather that somebody would find on the ground. It wasn't damaged in the slightest by the attack.

"Well, it seems that we now know how to release its stored energy. All that remains to be proven is if it truly absorbs Dust."

Goodwitch had picked up the case of crystals that, thankfully, had ended up near the entrance of the room instead of exploding. She opened it and took out a red crystal. She didn't really care about which crystal she picked up. Her room couldn't be in a much worse state than this.

Ozpin set the feather down, and Goodwitch gently lobbed the crystal at it. It shattered, and she expected her room to burst into flames. Instead, the crystal seemingly turned into actual dust. Red powder hung around the room for a split second, before it flowed toward the Luminescent. Every single speck was drained by the Artefact, until it was all gone. The Artefact had regained its colour, but this time, it was a dull red instead of a shimmering white.

"…It seems that my theory is correct. The Luminescent is indeed a Dust absorption device."

Goodwitch was fascinated. She picked up another crystal, this one cyan coloured. This time, she lobbed it away from the Artefact, to the other side of the room. The same thing happened again, and now, the Artefact was purple. The brightness of it intensified as well. Oobleck commented on his observations.

"Intriguing, truly! It actually absorbs all kinds of crystals and stores their energy. Why, if we were to damage the Luminescent again, the entire room would be showered in ice and fire, I'm sure! It must previously have been filled with energy from white crystals to have caused this earlier explosion!"

That made sense, Ozpin thought. It previously glowed white, and caused a non-lethal explosion. This was one of the many functions of a white crystal. Port shared his thoughts.

"Why, all sorts of incredible combinations could be found! We should test this function, post-haste!" Port generally didn't care for Dust, but he was also interested in what could be possible with an Artefact that could absorb different powers. Goodwitch also struggled to keep her excitement down.

"Indeed, I must admit that this Artefact has me fascinated. To absorb different Dust-related abilities is unheard of." Of course, it was possible to simply break several crystals at once to cause different effects, but this Artefact was much more refined in doing so. Ozpin wanted to test its capabilities as well, but tonight was not the night to do so.

"I'm afraid we will have to do this tomorrow. We have caused quite a scene tonight."

The 4 professors looked out of the broken hole in the wall. Many students were visible, as they were peering out of the windows in their dormitories to look at what was happening. The group of 4 all nodded, agreeing that they would meet tomorrow night to test the Luminescent further, then went their separate ways.

* * *

Torckwick sat in a darkened room by himself. Several windows allowed the moonlight entry into the room, but it barely illuminated the surroundings. Torchwick had a phone pressed to his ear, and was leaning on a table, which had various papers scattered about it.

"No, Junior, I'm afraid I won't be hiring any more thugs from you in the future."

A gruff voice could be heard from the phone.

"Mind if I ask why?"

"What do you mean why? Because they have the skill, courage and endurance of a… No, I can compare them to nothing, because anything I can think of has more of those 3 qualities than them!"

"Hmph. Your loss. There anything else you wanted?"

Torchwick twirled around in his chair, examining his fingernails.

"As a matter of fact, there IS something you can do for me. Am I correct in understanding that you are a significant presence in the black market?"

"You are."

"Am I also correct in understanding that a certain object known as the 'Starlight' has been causing a rather large stink amongst the community?"

"Starlight? Yeah, a stink is one way to put it. Everybody wants that thing."

Torchwick leaned forward in his chair with a grin.

"My friend, I have a deal for you. Get your hands on the 'Starlight,' and I will make it very much worth your while."

* * *

Author's note- Damn, I'm getting Junior involved in this? He only appeared in one trailer, but why the hell not?


	13. Chapter 12- Bullies and porridge

Chapter 12- Bullies and porridge

Author's note- I swear, this is the last time I'm changing the synopsis. I just can't get it to convey what the story is about.

* * *

"_Cardin, NEVER let yourself be submissive. You should strive to be the strongest there is, but you cannot accomplish this if you allow yourself to be walked upon."_

A young Cardin Winchester sat on the concrete floor, with his crying face buried in his knees. His father, a tall muscular man was looking down on him. His face was unshaven, his clothes a random mash of colours, but a bronze plate covered his entire chest. He didn't try to comfort his crying son, but instead just stood in front of him, telling him how to act in front of others.

"_Cardin, I better not see you crying again, just because a group of Fauna don't want to be your friend. You shouldn't be crying at all, for hell's sake."_

Cardin looked up at his father, his eyes red.

"_Dad, why can't I make friends_? _Why won't they be friends with me_?"

His father still stood as he taught his son how to treat others. He formed a smirk, as though the idea of 'friends' amused him.

"_Listen up. As a Winchester, you shouldn't make friends." _He finally knelt down next to his son.

"They don't want to make friends with you. Fine. To hell with them. Instead, you need to prove to them that you're worth giving a damn about. That way, they WANT to be friends with you.

Cardin was confused.

_"But… you just said I shouldn't be friends with them."_ His father smiled.

_"That's right. And you won't. That's the trick. Make yourself dominant in their eyes, and people will flock to you. But you have to make sure that you don't become attached to them. That way, you can always use others when it suits you, and they won't care at all. As long as you make them feel like you want them, they'll never leave you. You'll never be lonely, and you'll never be hurt like you were hurt earlier. Doesn't that make more sense than actually trying to make friends?"_

It did make sense. His father was a genius. Make people want to be around you, and you can just use them whenever you need something. The father of a boy he knew was the owner of a sweet store. If he made that boy respect him, Cardin could have as many sweets as he wanted. But that could be just the start. Making all sorts of people respect him could reap all sorts of benefits. He smiled with realisation.

He didn't need friends. He just needed respect.

His father saw the smile on his sons' face, and knew that his speech had worked. Still, he needed to teach the boy how to make people follow him, and he knew where to start. He picked up the mace that hung from his belt.

_"Pay attention. I'm going to teach you how to use this, and then you'll take what you've learned and teach those Fauna a lesson. When the other kids on the block see that you 'educated' those Fauna, they'll want to hang around you, I'm sure."_ He pressed the mace into Cardin's hands. Before he started to teach his son, he muttered something under his breath.

"_It's just as well. Those Fauna are all scum, anyway."_

Cardin had heard his father, and to this day, he still believed what he had said about the Fauna, and about how to treat people.

* * *

It was because of his father that Cardin developed into the person he is today. It was the reason he was currently flicking a pea at a Fauna with rabbit ears.

Velvet Scarlatina was simply sitting at an empty table in the cafeteria, eating carrot cake, when the first pea hit her in the forehead. Meekly, she looked up, trying to find the source of the attack. She saw a muscular boy, surrounded by a group of 3. They were all sniggering, and one of them high-fived the boy.

Team CRDL again. 'Again.' They had been harassing her since the first day of school, and she didn't know what to do.

Ask them to stop? Yeah, right. People never become bullies by stopping when politely asked.

Leave? Possibly. The problem with leaving is that the bullies know that they've gotten to you.

Tell somebody? Her mother always told her that she should tell somebody if she was getting bullied. She had tried to tell the Headmaster when she was being bullied in her previous school, but this had adverse consequences. The Headmaster apprehended them and gave them detentions for a fortnight. This didn't help the situation, as the bullies followed her home one day and smashed the windows in the night, as pay back.

It was the same old situation. Being bullied, and having no way to stop it.

She yelped another pea hit her in the eye when she was lost in thought. She left her breakfast where it was, and ran out of the room, covering her face as CRDL burst out in laughter.

* * *

KWNPRBRYJ turned the corner, heading for the cafeteria. Jaune and Katil were at the front, having a conversation as the rest were discussing their own topics.

"Hey, Jaune… you don't think Weiss will ACTUALLY make us call her 'Ms. Schnee,' do you?"

"… Yeah, I think she will. I mean, C'mon! Did you see what she can do?"

"Big deal, I can do the same thing… if I don't run out of crystals first. Unfortunately, Little Miss White has the entire Schnee corporation behind her to supply her with crystals."

*CLICK!*

There wasn't an actual click, but it was as though a light bulb in Katil's head switched on. Maybe there was a way to get more crystals…

*AHEM!*

Jaune and Katil froze in horror. They looked at each other, hoping that the other was the one to clear their throat. Their expressions told each other that the other didn't.

"I believe you just called me 'Little Miss White?'"

Weiss was right behind them. They both ran at full speed, practically setting the path behind them on fire as their legs carried them out of there as fast as possible. Weiss wasn't disappointed that they ran; it just meant that she would punish them later.

Jaune and Katil felt that they had run a safe distance away from Weiss. They had both ended up at the front of the cafeteria, much to Jaune's displeasure.

"Ah c'mon! She's gonna be here with everybody else any minute! L-let's just skip breakfast, okay?"

Katil was about to agree, when he saw someone leaving the cafeteria, her head hanging low. It was apparent that she was trying not to show that she was crying. Not only that, but she was a (rather cute) Fauna. Katil just couldn't let somebody as adorable as her be upset like this.

"What's wrong, sweetpea?"

Velvet looked up at the boy.

"P-pea?"

Velvet now burst into tears, reminded of what CRDL was flicking at her. She ran away towards the nearest exit, before Katil or Jaune could say anything. Katil was incredibly confused as to how he had offended her.

"Huh? What did I say?"

"I don't know. I don't have much luck with the ladies either."

They shrugged, and entered the cafeteria. It was relatively packed, as many students always rushed for breakfast before all the good food was gone. The pair struggled to find a seat, but they finally found a table in the corner. This table, however, already had plates and drinks on top of it, indicating that it was taken. Katil didn't seem to mind, but Jaune was more anxious about sitting here.

"Katil? I uh… think somebody's already sitting here." Katil dramatically looked at the seats, preparing to be sarcastic.

"By jove, you're right! They must be invisible! My, how did you see them?"

Jaune sighed and reluctantly sat down at the table. They were waiting for the rest of their group before they got breakfast. Their usual plan of action was for half of the group to get breakfast, while the other half sat at the table so that it wouldn't be stolen. They would then swap when the first group came back.

As Katil was leaning back on his chair as Jaune sat normally, twiddling his thumbs, a large shadow loomed behind them. Katil wasn't at all intrigued as to who was blocking the light, but Jaune turned around straight away, and gulped.

"Kitty, Arc, out of our chairs."

Now Katil was interested. He leaned his head back instead of turning around, and stared upside-down at the person who spoke.

He was quite a tall guy, broad shouldered, with short brown hair, similar to Katils'. Behind him were 3 other people, presumably the other members of his team. They were all holding drinks, so Jaune assumed that they left there seats for a moment to get them. Jaune wanted to get up and run, but Katil stayed where he was.

"Why should we? These aren't your chairs. I think you'll find they belong to the Headmaster, since he technically bought them."

The tall boy silently put down his drink on the table, then cracked his knuckles with a smirk.

"You sure you wanna get smart with me?" The other team members looked at each other with a grin, but Katil wasn't feeling threatened at all. He used to deal with these sorts of people all the time.

"You're right. It's not fair that I'm the only one out of us two who CAN be smart."

This riled Cardin. He didn't like it when other people talked back to him. He leant down on Katil, who was still leaning back on his chair.

"Last chance to leave, or this'll get ugly." The team members got ready to drag these assholes out of the cafeteria. Jaune tugged on Katil's arm, wanting to leave right now, but no. Katil just HAD to say something.

"Well, if one person around here knows how to make things ugly, it was obviously going to be you."

Cardin's expression suddenly lightened. He no longer looked angry as he casually walked to the side of Katil's chair. Then, with a grunt, he picked up the chair, with Katil still in it, and threw it across the hall. Some students cried out as the chair flew across the room, as Katil quickly leapt out of it, landing on his single hand and flipping back onto his feet. The chair continued across a long table and knocked several students' food away.

Cardin now turned his attention to Jaune, who had jumped out of his seat, ready to make a quick getaway. One of the team members, a boy with silver hair, quickly grabbed his arms and pinned them to the table. Cardin approached him and leaned forward, so that their heads were on the same level.

"Listen, Arc. I know that you're a weak little boy who needs to hang around with the top students to make himself feel special, but was there really a need to go and take our seats? Even when we 'politely' asked you to leave?"

Jaune struggled against the boys' grip to no avail.

"C'mon, I didn't do anything!"

CRDL laughed. Cardin drew closer to Jaune, so that they were almost touching.

"Arc, did you know that in some kingdoms, people can be found guilty of crimes even if they didn't intend to do them? That's exactly what just happened."

Jaune was surprised that Cardin was actually smart enough to know something like that, but his mind was focused on his immediate problem. The students in the vicinity did nothing but watch, fearful for what would happen if they tried to oppose Cardin.

"So, Arc, how are you and your freak of a friend going to make this up to us?"

"I think ramming a crystal up your ass oughta be fair payment." Katil had returned with a white crystal in hand.

Cardin barely acknowledged Katil when he was suddenly thrown into the air with the trademark noise of a crystal being shattered, feeling a sharp pain exactly where Katil promised a crystal would go. He didn't cry out, but his eyes still showed that he was shocked to be hit like this.

Everybody in the cafeteria watched as Cardin flew through the air and into the kitchen area, where plates of porridge and bacon sandwiches stood. He landed with a clatter, breaking the plates and being splattered in porridge.

The room was silent as Cardin returned to his feet, observing how much food he was covered in. His glare came to Katil, who had burst out laughing and was supporting himself on the table. Jaune was looking terrified, knowing that Katil was in for a fight. The other members of CRDL stood back, knowing that the Fauna was his to absolutely destroy.

Cardin pushed the plates out of the way, with fury in his eyes, and stamped back over to the table where Katil was wiping tears of laughter out of his eyes. He got back up off the table, and met Cardin's glare. He stretched out his arm, presenting himself to his opponent.

"Come at me, bro!"

He was going down. Cardin raised his fist, ready to punch the freak in the face.

"STOP!"

Cardin's arm was in motion when he stopped, looking for the source of the voice. Pyrrha Nikos. The know-it-all who was in most of his classes. Behind her were a bunch of other people, probably Arc's friends… maybe it was just his imagination, but all of the girls were pretty hot. How did Arc get to know these chicks?

Pyrrha stepped forward and dragged Katil away by the arm, with Jaune thankfully following. He sighed with relief knowing that his friends were here to help, but Katil wasn't appreciating this help.

"Tch, let go of me, Pyrrha! This guy wants a fight, and I'm obliging!" Katil struggled against her weirdly strong grip, and Cardin laughed.

"Running, huh? Looks like you actually ARE smart!" CRDL joined in with his sneering remarks, but Katil couldn't hear what they were saying as other students started talking about what was happening.

Pyrrha dragged Katil out of the cafeteria, joined by the rest of their group, so that they could stop him fighting Cardin. She finally let go, and Katil wasn't happy in the slightest.

"Pyrrha, what the HELL? He started it!" Katil sounded slightly childish in saying this. Pyrrha put a finger to his lips so that she could speak, but it was actually Ren who had spoken.

"Katil, do you realise that fighting outside of the assembly stage is forbidden? Combat between students must be regulated. If you fought just now, there would have been a good chance of one of you being severely injured, or even expelled. If a professor happened to walk in, you wouldn't be here right now."

Katil tutted, then Pyrrha spoke.

"Katil, I understand that Cardin Winchester is not an easy person to get along with, but this doesn't mean you should aggravate him into fighting you."

Katil had a look of disbelief.

"ME, aggravate him? Did you hear what he said to me and Jaune? He WANTS to get wrecked in a fight!"

Nora, who normally didn't participate in serious discussions, had an idea.

"Challenge him! CHALLENGE HIM!"

"Huh?"

"You can challenge him to a fight on the assembly stage, where Goodwitch watches you to make sure nobody gets broken legs! Do that!"

Pyrrha and Ren were annoyed that Nora told him about this. Before they could convince him to do otherwise, Katil was already stepping in the entrance. Cardin and his team were trying to wipe the porridge off of him when Katil shouted across the cafeteria.

"Hey, Cardin! Me and you are fighting tomorrow on the assembly stage, got that?"

Cardin flicked a sliver of porridge off of his hand and faced the Fauna, with a large grin on his face.

"Good! I've always wanted to know what a strangled cat sounds like!"

Katil said nothing more and stormed away to calm down, leaving his friends standing around the corner. They figured that they wouldn't be able to hold a conversation with Katil at this point, so they left him alone for now.

CRDL left the cafeteria, with Cardin almost cleaned up. He shot a glance at Jaune and made a gesture with his hands, pointing with 2 fingers at his eyes, then pointing at Jaune. Cardin was keeping an eye on Jaune. Jaune swallowed as the team left the area.

Ruby nudged him.

"You okay there, Jaune-y boy?"

Jaune, lost in thought, jumped at her question.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think… I just made an enemy."

* * *

Author's note- You know what they say. Violence solves everything. At least, it pretty much does in this fan fiction.


	14. Chapter 13- Puns, grapes and Tarot

Chapter 13- Puns, grapes and Tarot.

Author's note- Ace Attorney 5, coming soon. HYPE!

* * *

Claws was bored.

He had been cooped up in this room for a few days now, and he had nothing to do. The group of girls had come back up already with food, and they fussed over him for a while before leaving. He wanted to go outside… but he also DIDN'T want to be outside.

He was the runt of his litter. As such, he was often ignored by his brothers and sisters, as well as others. They never out right picked on him, but he knew that being ignored all together was worse than having no interaction with others. If he went back outside and tried to join the other Grimm, they wouldn't bother accepting him into their pack. Grimm his age were already considerably bigger than him, so why would they want him?

At least the humans who looked after him treated him nicely. They gave him food, a place to sleep and some actual affection. He wished he could have friends who were like him, but these people were good enough.

* * *

"Attention students in group A. Please make your way to the armoury for instruction on weapon locker usage."

KWNPRBRYJ, according to Blake who read the notice beforehand, was in group A. The group, except Katil, were currently sitting on the roof of the Academy, waiting for the announcement. They didn't know where the Fauna was, but decided that they would have to find him so they could attend Goodwitch's demonstration of the weapon lockers. Yang got off the ground with a yawn, stretching her arms.

"Well, let's go find Katil's current 'purrsition.'"

There was a brief silence, then Ruby burst out into laughter, rolling around on the floor. Everybody else was groaning, or had their heads in their palms. Weiss had turned away, not trying to show that she was giggling. Jaune decided to throw in a pun he had been thinking of for some time.

"Right. If he meets a cute girl before we get to him, he might 'whisker' away!"

This time, Ruby, Yang and Nora laughed, and Jaune noticed that Weiss had resorted to taking a few steps away with her back turned so nobody could see that she was laughing as well. Pyrrha had some concerns with their puns.

"I sincerely hope that you don't say these things to him when he's around. He's quite likely to be sensitive to jokes like this."

"Don't worry. I can't take offence to 'clawful' puns like those." Katil was standing at the entrance to the roof, a few feet away from them. Ruby had started giggling again, but Pyrrha wasn't concerned about the puns, if he was purrfectly fine with them… Great, now she was doing it.

"Well, if it's fine with you, then. Have you calmed down?"

"Yeah."

"So you won't fight Cardin tomorrow?"

"Are you kitten? He's going down, I promise!"

"What? But… why? Violence isn't a solution, Katil. It will only make the problem worse."

Katil laughed before responding.

"When I kick his ass, there won't be a problem. I just went to Goodwitch and sorted the whole thing out."

Pyrrha sighed. There was no point in trying to talk him out of this, especially if the fight was already arranged. She gave up and went back to the others, with Katil behind her.

* * *

A few minutes later, the group were in the armoury, being led by Goodwitch as she explained the functions of the lockers. Several other groups were with them, including, much to their displeasure, team CRDL. They decided to stay at the front as CRDL were at the back, as Katil would be likely to fight Cardin if they stayed too close to each other.

"These lockers will be used to store your various weapons and equipment. The locker you receive can only be opened with a fingerprint scan, ensuring that nobody else can open it."

Cardin, who had noticed that the Fauna and Arc were at the front, decided that it was time for payback. What would be the most creative way of getting it?

The entire group of students were moving along with Goodwitch, but Jaune and Weiss found themselves talking and moving slower than everybody else.

"So, Miss Schnee, I couldn't help but notice that you were laughing at the cat puns earlier. Who would think you had such a cute laugh?" Jaune tried to sound as suave as possible, calling upon all of his confidence to try and crack the Snow Queen's shell.

Weiss couldn't stop her cheeks turning slightly red. She had hoped that nobody had seen her laughing, and felt embarrassed with being caught laughing at something as stupid as Yang and Jaune's puns.

"N-No! I was not laughing, I was…"

She could think of nothing. As she was about to leave in a strop without commenting on her behaviour earlier, Jaune continued with a smooth smile.

"Yeah, I know, the 'whisker' joke was a good one, right? C'mon, Weiss, a smart girl like you has probably got some good ones, right?"

Weiss didn't want to do this. She did have a pun in mind, but… nobody saw her as the type of girl who made silly jokes like this. Everybody was used to her cold persona by now, and she didn't feel comfortable lowering it like this.

It was only Jaune. What was he going to do, tell the school that the resident Ice Queen had a humorous side? She could easily just 'punish' him if he did such a thing.

"Well…"

…

"… It seems that Katil was 'feline' fine with the earlier puns."

…

…

…

He was waiting too long. He tried to laugh, although it was more out of pity. She immediately noticed this.

"Oh, please, a pity laugh?! My pun was just as comical as yours and Yangs'!"

Fuming, she turned around to join the others, but to her horror…

"Ruby! How long have you been standing there?!"

Ruby was right behind her, sniggering as she tried to cover her mouth.

"That… wasn't bad, y'know! You actually have a sense of humour!"

Weiss' cheeks turned red as she realised she had accidentally shown a different side of her personality. She stormed away to avoid further embarrassment. Ruby followed her as quickly as possible.

"Wait, Weiss! I'm trying to 'tail' you!"

The 2 girls had left, leaving Jaune standing by the lockers. Maybe he shouldn't have waited so long to laugh. Goodwitch's explanation of the weapon lockers continued.

"Each of you will be assigned one rocket propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armour. Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a 6 digit code."

Goodwitch and the group had left the room so that she could explain the scroll system somewhere else.

Cardin had stealthily snuck up on Jaune. What Goodwitch just said gave him fantastic inspiration.

Jaune was about to join the others and maybe apologise to Weiss when he suddenly found himself being pushed into a locker. He quickly realised that it was Cardin, and tried his best to not be thrown inside, but could do nothing against the larger boys' strength.

"W-What? No, no, wait! Get me outta here, please, don't, don't!"

The locker door was slammed shut, and Cardin pressed various buttons on the keypad. The locker activated, and launched into the air, through the open ceiling.

Katil and Blake, who were in the other room, thought they heard a cry of 'Oh, c'mon!' They both looked around, (Katil was suspicious that Blake had heard the voice as well.) but could see nothing amiss. It was probably nothing.

* * *

After the explanation, the group had gone there separate ways. Yang, Ruby and Nora went back to the dormitories to play with Claws, as Blake seemingly disappeared, as she usually did. Ren, Pyrrha and Katil went to the training room, where they planned on finding a suitable weapon for Katil. Weiss had gone to the library, where she planned to meet her 'other' friends. She was the only one who noticed that Jaune was not with them, but didn't say anything out of spite for him not finding her pun funny.

* * *

The training room was quite expansive. It reminded Pyrrha of a gym at her previous school, as the floor was made of wood that was polished to reflect the person above it. The walls were made of white bricks, and were lined with various weapons and equipment that the students could use to practice their athleticism and combat skills. The ceiling had been retracted, allowing the sunlight to pour into the room.

Some students were already in the room, practising against wooden dummies, but paid no attention to the 3 who entered. Pyrrha was speaking to Katil.

"Katil, you may be proficient with martial arts, but they won't serve you well considering only one of your arms are in use. You will need a weapon."

"Look, do I really need a weapon? If my one hand's holding a weapon, I can't pick up a crystal. I'm better off just using good old athletics and crystals."

Ren knew why he couldn't rely on his crystals.

"Because you will need more than crystals throughout your upcoming years at Beacon. You only have limited crystals, so a weapon you can rely on will be essential. You may as well get a proper weapon now."

Katil knew he was right, although he disagreed that his supply of crystals was limited. He had an idea of how to get more crystals, but it would involve trying to become better friends with Weiss. That… would be a challenge.

"Fine. Let's take a look at these weapons, shall we?"

* * *

Ruby, Yang and Nora were in RWBY's room, playing with Claws. Ruby was on top of her bed with a bag of grapes in hand. She flicked one at him, and he jumped up to catch it in his mouth. Yang was curious about this.

"He won't eat an apple, but he'll eat grapes?" Nora shrugged as she scratched Claws behind his ear.

"People like grapes, so why not Grimm?"

The 3 friends sat in silence, watching the Grimm, when Ruby remembered something.

"Y'know, Weiss is actually a pretty nice person."

Yang and Nora stopped completely. Even Claws seemed to recognise what Ruby just said. Slowly, they turned their heads to Ruby, not believing in the slightest what Ruby just said. Yang was the first to recover from the shock.

"Sis, are you feeling okay?"

"Oh my God, she's on DRUGS!" Nora bounced onto her bed to see if Ruby's pupils were dilated. Yang also got to her feet and approached Ruby, her hand outstretched.

"Sis, give me the drugs. I promised Dad that I would keep you on the straight and narrow."

"Y-You two, I'm not on drugs!" She pushed Nora off her bed, where she landed on the floor with a thud.

"Oh…" Nora was, for some strange reason, disappointed by the lack of substances. Yang jumped onto Ruby's bed in her place, determined to find the source of her sister's statement. She put a hand on her shoulder with a grave expression.

"…Is she bullying you?"

"WHAT?" Ruby was shocked that Yang would even think that Weiss was capable of bullying.

"No, she's not bullying me. I could totally kick her ass, you know!" Yang sighed with relief.

"I know. So you said something stupid about her being nice?"

"Well… A few days ago, she told me that she would be the best team mate ever. Do you believe that?"

"No." Yang and Nora spoke at the exact same time.

"Er… Would you believe me if I said that she made a cat pun earlier?"

"No." They both said again.

"I'm actually serious! She made a joke about felines and feeling fine to Jaune!"

They both stared at her, wondering if this was actually true. Yang wanted to put this to the test.

"So, if we went and asked her right now, would she repeat that joke?" Ruby was now less confident. Weiss was embarrassed to be heard saying the joke, so there was probably no way she would say it again to anyone.

"Probably not…" She looked away with a sigh.

Yang noticed the annoyance in her sister's voice. Ruby was telling the truth, but Weiss would probably deny ever saying it. She dropped back on Ruby's bed, which was getting crowded as Nora had jumped onto it as well.

"Well, it doesn't matter. It's too bad Weiss is too much of a cold jerk to actually open up to us. Why do we even let her hang around with us, again?"

"She's on our team. She HAS to hang around with us."

"Well, she's sure not with us right now. She's at the library with her 'other' friends. The rich ones who probably got everything they ever wanted, like her."

"I don't think she got everything she ever wanted. I don't think she had bunk beds…"

"Boy, do I feel sorry for her." Yang was being as sarcastic as possible in that last statement. Nora was intrigued by the 'bunk bed' thing.

"Aww, she didn't have bunk beds? Didn't she have sleepovers or something? Or friends?"

That was an interesting point, Ruby thought. Weiss' acquaintances probably weren't the type to have slumber parties or talk about boys. She had a feeling that had her 'friends' were chosen for her by whoever cared for her. Ruby couldn't help but wonder if Weiss was actually okay with that.

The topic of Weiss was soon dropped, and random conversations began.

* * *

Blake soon found herself in the Forever Falls. Although entry into the area wasn't exactly forbidden, nobody had a reason to be here yet. They would likely receive an assignment at some point that requires them to be here. There was a good chance that Grimm stalked the area, so she climbed a tree to avoid any potential threats.

At the top of the tree was a fantastic view. The entire area was covered in red leaves, with the Academy in the distance. Yes, this was a perfect place to read her 'study book.' She opened her bag and pulled out Ninjas of Love, and got comfortable on a tree branch.

"…dumb, stupid Cardin and his dumb, stupid muscles and his dumb, stupid team…"

She could hear a voice from somewhere, much to her annoyance. Maybe if she stayed up here, they wouldn't see her. She looked down, and to her surprise, she saw Jaune.

"I mean, c'mon! I didn't do anything! I just wanted to leave the table, but Katil HAD to fight him, and now Cardin hates me. Great! Just great!"

Jaune seemed to mumbling about his encounter with Cardin at breakfast this morning. How did he end up here, of all places? With a sigh, she put her book away and jumped down, feeling that somebody like Jaune shouldn't be alone in a place like this.

Jaune almost screamed when a black blur descended out of the corner of his eye. He was about to reach for his sword, when he realised that it was just Blake.

"Are you lost, Jaune?" Blake was trying to be as friendly as possible.

"Hey, Blake…" Jaune sighed deeply, looking at the ground.

"Do you walk around here regularly?"

"Nope. I kinda got launched here… actually, where is 'here?'"

"The Forever Falls." Blake had a good idea of how he ended up here, judging by his mumblings and how the weapon lockers can be sent to different locations.

"I, ah, didn't even know this place existed. I don't suppose you could help me back to the Academy, Hellebore?" Jaune tried to rebuild his confidence by doing some light flirting with Blake.

For a moment, Blake smiled. She liked the fact that Jaune treated her the same as every girl he knew. It reminded her that he considered her a friend.

With a nod, Blake walked in the direction of Beacon, beckoning Jaune to follow her.

"I should mention, the Hellebore is actually a series of 5-petaled flowers that consists of several colours, most of which are actually just a very dark colour, as a pure black flower is almost impossible to come across. The Black Velvet Petunia is the first ever pure black flower, so I suggest you use that next time you flirt with somebody."

"Black Velvet Petunia? It doesn't really make for a cute nickname befitting someone as cute as you."

The pair made small talk over Jaune's flirting techniques and types of flowers as they made their way back to the Academy. Blake was pleased with herself, as she used to worry that she wouldn't be able to hold conversations with people at this place. Socialisation wasn't her strong suit, and being able to talk like this was quite a boost to her confidence. Maybe she should try talking to her team without them having to start a conversation.

* * *

Ozpin had many questions which lacked answers. Who buried the Luminescent in the forest, and why? What was the ability of the Shattered Mirror, and why did his old friend send it to him? Who else was looking for the Shining Artefacts?

He pushed the questions to the back of his mind as he strolled through the library. He came here to organise certain bills, which he incurred last night in Glynda's office. Glynda seemed quite upset by the outright destruction of her office, and he knew that he needed to pay for what he did. He wouldn't know what he would do without her, so he would do everything he could to make it up to her. He was currently holding several papers in one hand and his trademark mug in the other, and was heading for a table.

"Schnee, could you perhaps question me on the properties of crystals? After all, you would be the queen of such knowledge."

Whoever spoke, it was clear that they were from an upper class society. They exaggerated the 'A's and their sentence structure was clearly more refined than others.

"Gladly. Shall we begin with basic elemental crystals?"

Ozpin could hear Weiss Schnee and some other upper class students on the other side of the bookcase. He suspected that Ms Schnee would be on top of her studies, but didn't think that she would revise with people other than those on her own team. Well, so long as she hadn't abandoned them altogether, there was no problem.

He took a seat at an elongated table and put the papers down. He examined the bills in greater detail, taking a calculator out of his pocket, to see what would need replacing.

6 mahogany tables… 12 fluorescent lights… 1 large wall…

This was actually adding up to quite an expense. Wait…

The complete collection of Samurai League? Wasn't Samurai League a comic book series? Did… did Glynda like this kind of thing? No, she would never read something made for kids…

…right?

Maybe he should keep this to himself. This is most likely the one thing that could ruin her reputation as a strict, no-nonsense teacher. He would absolutely have to confirm this with her privately.

As he was recovering from the confusion of Glynda being a fan of… comic books… he noticed that somebody was actually sitting on the other end of the table. A girl with rabbit ears. He recognised her as the crying Fauna who he saw fairly recently. Velvet Scarlatina, if he was correct.

She didn't seem to notice him, and he couldn't help but see that she was playing with cards. Was that Solitaire she was playing, perhaps? She also had a book next to her, which she kept referring to.

No. On closer inspection, they didn't seem to be playing cards. They were… Tarot cards? Now he was intrigued.

* * *

Justice, reversed.

Hanged Man, reversed.

Death, right side up.

…How many cards did she need to deal? Velvet looked in her book for a moment. Between 1 and 10, it seemed. She flicked through her book to check the meanings of her dealt cards.

"Justice in reverse can signify, simply, that a person has been treated unjustly."

Velvet closed her book with a jump, startled by the voice. She looked up to see that it was just the Headmaster. She wasn't sure what to say right now, but then he continued.

"The Hanged Man in reverse could mean that it is time to let go of an outdated attitude that you hold. It could also represent that you are at a crossroad and must make a decision, but you would be limited to only 2 options."

Velvet was listening, intrigued. She noticed that he was now addressing her as though the cards applied to her.

"Finally, Death represents a spiritual change, or at the very least, the end of a cycle. This does not necessarily mean the loss of life, although life can often be considered a cycle in itself."

"I see…" Velvet was at a loss for words. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk, it was just that she often had trouble speaking to others, least of all the Headmaster. Her ears drooped, as though reflecting what she was thinking.

C'mon, he got up to talk to you. There has to be SOMETHING you can say back.

"Would you… like me to give you a reading?" She said meekly. It was the only thing she could think of. He must have had an idea that she was being bullied, but she preferred to avoid this topic. What other reason would he have for coming over?

"Of course. Divination has fascinated me for some time." Ozpin sat on a chair opposite Velvet. He took a sip of his coffee.

Velvet spread the cards around on the table for a moment. She then gathered them and shuffled them normally. Out of nerves of giving the Headmaster a reading, she almost dropped the pile mid-shuffle. She straightened out the cards, then took the top card off the deck and placed it in front of Ozpin.

The Wheel of Fortune. Well, his 'fortunes' were certainly in dire straights at the moment, but maybe this means something else. It could also mean movement, or evolution, or just anything that we have no control over.

The Moon. It indicates that things may currently be confusing or uncertain. It seems that patience is called for at this time. This was quite understandable.

The Tower. Not a good sign. Although its potential meanings weren't all bad, it still generally means a calamity, or a shock of some kind.

"Interesting… Thank you, Ms. Scarlatina. This has certainly been enlightening."

"It's nothing…" Velvet had resumed her quiet nature. She glanced over her book to check the meanings of the cards, a part of her hoping that he would leave.

"Ms. Scarlatina, do you have any friends at this school?"

Drat.

"S-Sir… That's…"

"None of my business, I suppose. Still, and forgive me for my rudeness, it seems that you are rather lonely. Do your team members speak to you at all?"

Velvet looked down, as though she were trying not to accept the truth he was presenting. She needed to say something, anything to deny it, but Ozpin continued.

"I understand that as a Fauna, you may be treated unjustly. You need to make a simple choice; suffer in silence, or tell me or a professor about your situation. You may believe that there is nothing we can do to help, but I assure you, we will stop all kinds of bullying. Discrimination is dealt with severely at this Academy."

That sounded nice. No more CRDL would be fantastic. Still, what would he do to them? No, this wasn't a matter of what would happen. She needed to make a choice.

"Sir…"

She racked up her courage.

"… Team CRDL has been bullying me…"

She actually wanted to cry. She had actually told the Headmaster about her predicament. Memories of what happened the last time she reported bullying flooded back to her. Would CRDL try and get revenge?

"I see. Please excuse me, Ms. Scarlatina.

Ozpin stood, leaving his mug on the table. He casually strolled out of the library, leaving Velvet.

She couldn't help but wonder what the Headmaster would do to CRDL.

* * *

Author's note- Looks like CRDL will soon be getting their come-uppance. I can't remember which, but I'm pretty sure one of those arcana's also represent karma.

By the way, I also have an interest in flowers. That's right, I'm a dude who likes flowers, tarot cards, Ace Attorney, and dumb puns.

Also, shout-out to Zale for the kitten pun.


	15. Chapter 14- Payback and dealings

Chapter 14- Payback and dealings

Author's note- Upon reading my previous chapters, I've come to realise that I've unintentionally set most of them out in a particular way. I seem to have split each day into 3 chapters, each chapter being a part of the day.

I'll keep using this structure, for now. It works for writing about a typical day for the students, while also letting me write about the plot and the Professors at night.

If you guys think this is a good or bad structure, let me know, as I've also realised that I tend to be slow regarding plot advancements in favour of writing about the students' day. It doesn't have to be this way, I can change, I swear!

* * *

**Evening**

It looked like CRDL were in deep poop.

As Ruby, Yang and Nora made their way back to the dormitories after a trip to the cafeteria, they saw team CRDL being led by Ozpin, Goodwitch, Port and Oobleck. (Which Nora just dubbed POGO.) They seemed to be heading for the training room, with Port heaving a case behind him. What did the Professors have in mind for them?

At the front, Goodwitch walked alongside Ozpin. She kept her voice low so that CRDL couldn't hear them.

"Sir, are you quite sure about this?"

"Yes Glynda, I'm sure. This should be fine as long as we reveal no more than is necessary. We may gain answers, and they will learn a valuable lesson in discrimination."

"Would detention or isolation not be suitable punishments for them?"

"I'm afraid not. Lessons in discrimination cannot be learned unless they experience it first hand. Have no fear Glynda, no serious harm will come to them."

In truth, she wasn't concerned about CRDL being harmed by what was about to happen. She was looking forward to it actually. This was about to save the Professors from a fair bit of danger. She opened up her scroll, knowing what Ozpin was about to ask her to do.

* * *

"Attention students. Curfew is being enforced earlier than normal in order for cleaners to make complete rounds of the school. Please return to your dormitories."

*CLANK!*

Katil had thrown yet another weapon to the ground, unsatisfied. It was the fourteenth weapon he had tested with Ren and Pyrrha, and they were no closer to finding him a suitable weapon.

"Katil, we need to return to our room. Could you please just pick a weapon?"

Katil gave a groan of frustration.

"Which? The 2 handed sword? The pair of electric Sai? A freakin' Tonfa that's pretty much just a block of wood? Everything either needs both hands or is just flat-out worse than a mace."

"Katil, no weapon is as bad as another, you only need to prac-"

"Yeah, okay, sure. You're right, I could use any one of these if I practiced. Problem. I'm fighting TOMORROW. "

Pyrrha and Ren gave up. He wouldn't be satisfied with any of these, and it would take too long to for him to train with any of them to be on Cardin's level of weapon usage.

"It looks as though you will just have to rely on your crystals tomorrow. Just remember that you will need a weapon soon."

"I know, I know…"

The trio left the training room, heading for their room.

As they left and entered the corridor, they crossed paths with a group of Professors, including Ozpin, who were leading CRDL behind them. Katil was very much amused by this, but didn't want to talk to them. His eyes, however, met Cardin's, and they didn't need to say anything to tell their respective hatred for each other.

Oobleck was reminded of something.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Klinge! I must inform you that you have been delivered something from a friend of yours, which I saw in the Administration office this morning. I highly recommend that you go and get it now, as some students can be despicable enough to steal from others, especially students who are prejudiced against the Fauna, I shall add."

Oobleck was clearly referring to the team following them, but he didn't look at them.

"Huh. Thanks for the heads up." Katil nodded at Oobleck as they passed each other. Katil had never met that Professor before. How did he know his name? When the 2 groups were out of earshot, he turned to Ren and Pyrrha.

"How does that Yῡki Terumi wannabe know my name?" Pyrrha didn't know who Yῡki Terumi was, but addressed his question.

"Professor Oobleck is very respective of the Fauna. He most likely knows the name of every Fauna in this Academy, and was probably pleased to hear that another Fauna had joined recently."

"That's, ah, kinda creepy."

Pyrrha and Ren continued to their Dormitory as Katil went to the office to get whatever was delivered to him.

* * *

The Professors and CRDL entered the training room. Ozpin separated to the centre of the room, pulling the Luminescent out of his breast pocket. He simply placed it on the ground, then rejoined the others. Port placed the trunk on the ground.

CRDL had no idea what was about to happen. A few minutes ago, the Headmaster and these 3 Professors approached them on the roof and asked the team to follow them, with no explanation. Although they didn't care for the teachers, they couldn't exactly refuse as, well, it was the Headmaster. Refusing him would be a horrible mistake… but that didn't mean Cardin was perfectly fine with his time being wasted.

"Look, I know that, as the big boss of the school, you can tell people what to do. But could you at least tell us why we're here? We were about to go do our homework, you know." Cardin lied about doing homework to try and make himself seem like a 'good' student.

The Professors stood in front of the team. Ozpin was the first to speak.

"You and your team are here tonight to assist us with the testing of a new invention. In doing so, we shall learn about what sort of adjustments will be needed, and you will learn a lesson that will help you later in your lives."

Ozpin made sure not to mention that the 'invention' was an incredibly powerful Artefact. As long as they didn't know what the feather really was, there should be no problem with them seeing it. Port opened the case, revealing its contents of crystals and vials of powdered Dust, as Ozpin continued his explanation.

"This invention is capable of absorbing various types of Dust and unleashing it when struck. You shall be the ones striking it as we observe the effects."

The members of CRDL looked at each other. Basically… they were going to attack something that could unleash Dust. First, the Headmaster haphazardly flings students into a forest filled with Grimm while drinking coffee. Then, he sets up battles between students who tote swords and guns. Now, he wanted students to strike things that could seriously harm them.

It's official. The Headmaster enjoys students being in physical pain.

"Mr. Winchester. Hmm… I'm not a large fan of people with blue eyes. You shall be the first to strike the item."

…What? Cardin was first because the Headmaster didn't like people with blue eyes? How was that even remotely fair?

With a 'tch,' Cardin approached the feather, which shone with a purple glow. He pulled out his mace and looked back at the group, who had taken reasonable steps backwards.

Heh, what could be so bad about this thing? It would be obliterated with a single hit, so how the hell could it 'unleash' Dust?

With a grunt, Cardin brought his mace down on the feather. Something occurred to Goodwitch.

"Sir, perhaps we should have brought a fire extinguisher-"

*BANG!*

Cardin was thrown against the wall as the area illuminated red. Fires from a red crystal spread across the wooden floor, which suddenly made everybody jump backwards. As they were about to worry about the entire school burning to the ground, the area filled with a blue light. A rune was created on the ground, and a large pillar of ice rose up, extinguishing the flames. ( Much to their relief.) The Luminescent, which was thrown into the air, floated back down, undamaged, next to the ice.

Cardin was smeared face-forward across the wall, and he slowly fell back to the floor. Ozpin spoke to Goodwitch.

"Glynda, would you care to select the next crystals and student?"

"Of course." Goodwitch took a purple and white crystal out of the case. Purple for gravity, and white for motion and impact. This would be an interesting combination. As for the student…

"Thrush. Your hairstyle is a travesty, so I believe you shall be next." Russel seemed shocked, and ran a finger through his Mohawk.

"M-My hair? What's that got to do with ANYTHING!?"

"I despise it, so you shall be next." She said bluntly.

He REALLY wanted to talk back to her… but there was no way he would actually talk back to Goodwitch. Something about her seemed to terrify most of the students.

Goodwitch dropped the crystals, which converted into purple and white grains and flowed into the feather. It now glowed with a shimmering pink light, a combination of purple and white. Thrush gulped, then stepped towards it. He didn't carry his weapon with him, so he lifted his foot, ready to stamp it.

He looked back at Goodwitch, in case she wasn't being serious. He assumed she was, because she now had a notebook and pen at the ready.

Reluctantly, he stamped the feather.

*BOOM!*

Thrush screamed as a gravity well appeared, sucking him into a vortex. The pillar of ice that previously dominated the room was slowly being ripped apart, with shards of ice swirling around the well. For a brief moment, the room was purple as ice was thrown around, until the colour changed to white and the ice was blasted across the room. Thrush, much to the Professors' amusement, was thrown into Cardin, who was still getting to his feet. They both smashed together, and they fell back to the ground, groaning.

The Professors and the 2 remaining team members ducked to avoid shards of ice. Goodwitch was fascinated with the results, instead of being concerned for the teams' well-being.

"It seems that the 'device' releases its stored energy in the order of which it was obtained, while the second blast can occur as the first blast is finishing. Professor Port, perhaps you would care to have a go?"

Professor Port stepped forward with a laugh.

"Why, it would be my pleasure, Madam!" Port took dark blue and orange crystals. He dropped them, and they converted into grains for the Luminescent. He eyed the remaining two members of CRDL.

"Mr. Bronzewing, you appear to be somewhat stuck-up! I admit that I rather dislike this personality type, so I shall elect you to next test the device!

Bronzewing didn't know what to say, other than…

"Stuck up!? I'm not stuck-up! What's that got to do with getting blasted across the room?"

"Oh-ho, you appear distressed by this! Well, this matters not. I dislike your personality, so step up to the plate, good sir!"

Bronzewing hesitated for a moment. If he didn't do what he was asked, he would no doubt receive near unlimited homework from all 4 professors. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he raised his foot over the device.

*BOOSH!*

A light blinded everybody in the room, and when they opened their eyes, the entire room was flooded. Bronzewing, at the forefront of the effect, was washed up next to Cardin and Thrush, who were just picking themselves up when a tidal wave smashed them against the wall. Bronzewing's head was pounding from the orange effect.

Goodwitch scribbled on her notebook, 'flash + water = flash flood.' Port chuckled with amusement at the results of his combination, then turned to Oobleck.

"Sir, perhaps you would like to be more adventurous with your choice? I personally recommend you choose 3 crystals for the next test."

"Indeed I shall, Professor, indeed I shall…"

Oobleck picked up a purple crystal and lobbed it at the submerged Artefact. He then grabbed an orange and cyan crystal and broke these as well.

"Mr. Lark, I'm afraid you're simply not tall enough for my liking. You shall stamp on the device."

Lark, hardly believing his ears, was furious.

"My freakin' height? I can't do anything about that, for hell's sake!"

"I know you can't. Still, I will call you out on it, simply because it makes me dislike you."

Ridiculous. The professors were making them attack the device based on things they had no control over. This was God damn… what was the word?

"Do hurry, Mr. Lark, we have a tight schedule, you see."

He had no choice. Although his team were known to disobey the rules, they wouldn't dare do it in front of the actual professors. He would do it quick, just to get it over with.

Without pause, he waded though the water, picked up the feather and crushed it in his hands.

*BIP!*

A gravity well appeared once again, and the water was swept into a hurricane. The effect of the orange crystal now activated, and the gravity well disappeared. The water cascaded as the light filled the room, but this time, the water distorted and was splashed across the room, the orange effect acting like a sea mine. Everybody was drenched in water, much to Goodwitch's annoyance. The cyan effect activated, and every trace of water that remained was instantly frozen, even the drops that were falling from everybody's clothes.

Lark was still being swept across the room by water when the cyan effect activated, and his legs were frozen to the ground in front of his team, who had clinged to the walls to avoid the ice. The Professors had taken reasonable steps backwards to avoid the full brunt of the water and ice, although several parts of them were covered in ice from where they had been splashed. Goodwitch set to work chiselling her arm of ice, as Port and Oobleck tried to scrape it off from various parts of themselves.

Only Ozpin was relatively unaffected, and he proceeded to CRDL, where Cardin was becoming increasingly livid. Cardin was about to storm up to the Headmaster, but slipped on the ice instead. He looked up at Ozpin.

"Okay, 'Sir,' you've had your fun! What the hell was the point of this? All you did was make us hit that thing over things we can't do a God damn thing about!"

"Indeed, we did. Do you know why, Mr Winchester?"

"Because you're a bunch of assholes?" Cardin was no longer fearful of shouting or insulting the Professors. They had crossed the line, and he was going to show it.

"You seem to take great offence to what we did to you. Do you not enjoy being discriminated against?"

"Of course not! Why'd you think we're offended?"

Ozpin picked up the Luminescent as he responded.

"As you just experienced, being discriminated for things you have no control over is, indeed, an awful thing. Now that you are aware of this, I shall give you this warning."

Ozpin faced Cardin, with a grave expression.

"Cease your bullying of Velvet Scarlatina. If you do not, this team will no longer be a part of Beacon Academy."

With these words, Ozpin left the room, followed by the remaining Professors. CRDL were left stunned, not quite believing that Ozpin could make threats like that. They all watched the Professors with their jaws open, Lark with his legs still stuck in ice. Would Ozpin actually expel them if they tried to bully Velvet again? Cardin got off the ice, not bothering to help his stuck team-mate.

"Well played, Ozpin…"

* * *

(A/N- Looks like CRDL are on thin ice!)

* * *

The black market deal was about to start.

Junior, along with 10 of his best henchman, entered the dealing room. The dealing room was larger than the poor lighting let on. The sides of the room were covered in shadow, with the centre faintly illuminated by a Dust powered light. The ceiling, although a faint blue colour, hardly helped in lighting the room.

Junior and his men were not the only ones in the room. 4 others, 3 with their own team of men, were situated in other areas of the room. They glanced at the newcomer for a moment. They all knew Junior in some way or another. Some had traded information with him in the past. Others had hired thugs or thieves from him. Junior was one of the biggest and most well-known criminals in the 'underworld,' and they knew what he was here for. The thing that everybody else was here for.

"The auction of the artefact 'Starlight' will now commence."

A man covered in shade and black clothing now entered the room as the atmosphere became tense. The auctioneer's face was completely obscured, much like the face of everybody else. They were criminals, and they would absolutely not risk revealing themselves in this event. Only Junior had no fear with showing his face, as he knew that nobody here would dare try and stab him in the back. He was far too influential.

The floor in the centre of the room opened up, and a glass stand rose. It contained the artefact of everybody's desires.

The Starlight was not a spectacle to behold. It took the simple form of a grey orb, with a slit lining the circumference. It suggested to Junior that it could open into 2 pieces, with the insides hopefully far more interesting than what was on the outside. It was quite boring to look at, as it had no other discernable features. He tried to do as much research into this thing as possible, but almost nothing was known about it. He read something about it being in the Great War, but its powers were unknown.

*BEEP!*

The 5, including Junior, who would be bidding for this artefact took their places around the room. A slit opened on the ground in front of each group, and a pedestal came out, with a button on top. The criminal leader of each group stood with their hands clasped on the button, as the dealer began to speak.

"Item number 1 of today's auctions is the Starlight. This Artefact has virtually no details known about it, other than it being one of the 4 Shining Artefacts, which are believed to contain incredible power. The starting bid shall be 250,000 Lien. When you wish to raise the bid, press your button, and then state your next bid. If you no longer hold an interest in bidding for the item, please step away from the button."

Junior already knew the rules. He had been through this process countless times. He looked at his competitors, who were showing no nerves. They didn't stand out at all, except for one person. He was here completely alone, whereas everybody else, including Junior himself, had a group of henchmen. Gutsy.

"Bidding will now commence."

*BEEP!*

"300,000." A beam of light shot out of the ceiling, revealing the bidder. He was a man in his mid-fifties, who seemed to be edging toward retirement.

Junior held all of the cards. He recognised the man who made an offer, as he was one of Junior's previous customers, and Junior knew quite a lot about him. A bigamist, who's wives had no idea of the other's existence. Information like this always found its way to Junior, and he used information as he saw fit.

"Bennett, if I were you, I wouldn't make anymore bids, or your missus in Vytal may find out about your second wife."

The man called Bennett hesitated for a moment, wondering if the loss of his wives were worth the Starlight. He sighed and stepped back from the button. He still cared dearly for one of his wives, with who he had a child with. Marrying again was a mistake, and if she found out, it would be over. He needed to end his second marriage. Maybe he should try a peaceful life with the wife he loved.

Bennett couldn't help but wonder how Junior knew this. He couldn't help but look at the henchmen surrounding him, all of whom he hired from Junior himself.

The other criminals didn't care that Junior just blackmailed Bennett into leaving the bid. They thought that Junior had no information on them, and they were pleased that one of the competitors had been removed.

*BEEP!*

"500,000." It was a woman who went next, and she decided to be aggressive with her bid.

Junior examined the woman who was now illuminated. He had never seen her before, but her voice seemed familiar. He probably made a deal with her by phone at some point.

She was clearly a vain woman. Her face had been filled with botox, as she tried to fight the effects of age. Several expensive jewels and necklaces hung from her, a result of her illegally obtained wealth. This type of person was a big threat in auctions, as they generally had money to throw around. Trying to outbid her now would be dangerous, so he would currently leave it to another criminal to make a move.

*BEEP!*

"600,000." A young man was next. This was the one who was alone, which would serve to be his downfall. Junior didn't recognise him or his voice, so he assumed the boy was knew to this business. Amateur. Junior knew how to take him out, but he would wait for another development.

*BEEP!*

"700,000." The vain woman went again.

*BEEP!*

"1,000,000." This was the final criminal who made the outrageous bid. He was a tall man in his thirties, with a tiger fur coat and a glass of wine in one hand. A man of great tastes, who seemed intelligent enough to be a master criminal. Junior had met him several times to give him henchman, some of whom he recognised behind him. The man had an intimidating aura about him, but Junior already knew that he was no problem.

*BEEP!*

"1.2 million." The woman countered.

If Junior didn't stop this, they would end up bidding each other into the high millions, and although Junior had wealth, he would prefer not to empty his bank account on this dealing. The woman would be the easier to remove.

"I see you're an avid collector of jewellery. Have you heard of the Totsuka gem?"

The woman reeled around to Junior, curious.

"Yes, I have. Why do you ask?"

She was interested. The Totsuka gem was the rarest jewel, its existence practically made of rumours. Only in books can the gem be seen, and it was the ultimate collector's item of gem collectors.

"I know where it is. Leave the deal, and I'll give you information on its location."

The woman was intrigued, but not stupid.

"How do I know you will actually tell me this? You could know nothing about it, and just trying to make me leave the deal."

"We've spoken quite a few times, and I've never lied to you, have I? Besides, I'm pretty well known as a guy who knows everything. I can tell you that the gem was lost on a boat during a storm, a few years after the Great War. Leave, and I'll tell you everything else."

Lost in a storm. This made sense, as its last known location was in the third Kingdom. After the Great War, the Kingdoms traded gifts with each other as a sign of prosperity. The theory of the gem being a gift made sense, and it being lost on a boat trip was logical.

She decided to trust Junior and leave the deal.

"You better not be lying about this gem, do you understand, Junior?"

Junior nodded as she stepped into the darkness.

Lying was one of Junior's expertise. He had made up the part where the gem was lost in a storm, based on the little information he had on it. A great lie will have parts of truth within it. In combination with the woman's obsession of gems, she would obviously believe the lie to be the truth.

*BEEP!*

"1.3 million." The boy went again. Did this boy even have a clue what he was doing?

"Listen, Kid, you're new to this game, aren't you?"

The boy, who was perhaps no older than 18, looked up, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"I-I ain't new! Don't look down on me, Old Man!"

Old? Junior was barely out of his twenties.

"Why shouldn't I look down on you? Kids oughta be in bed by now, you know. How did you even get 1.3 million Lien?"

Junior was laying a trap for the kid, which he fell into almost immediately.

"I stole from people, Jackass! The missing paintings from the Art museum? That was me who stole 'em!"

Junior had heard about the missing paintings. They were quite valuable, easily adding up to about 2 million Lien.

They were almost as valuable as the information itself.

"Amateur. You don't belong in this business."

The kid looked stunned.

"Tch, why not?"

"You just told me that you're a thief. Everybody here is a criminal, obviously, but the difference between us and you is that we can help each other. You have nothing to give us, and you have no thugs to stop us from manipulating you with what you just told us.

A bead of sweat from the kids' face. The old man was right. He just told them that he was a thief with no way of stopping them from blackmailing him. All they had to do was send an anonymous tip to the police and he was screwed.

Junior felt a little sorry for him. He had been a rookie at this game, too.

"Here's the deal. Back out, and get out of this business. Do that, and we won't do anything. Agreed?"

The boy had no response. He wasn't experienced enough for this.

"Fine." He stepped back, but there was no way that he would leave this business. He would have to go to another Kingdom to try the criminal underworld again, hoping that the money he got from the paintings would help him to gain respect there. He was out-classed in Vytal.

Only Junior and the tiger coated man remained. They had a mutual respect for one another, due to their several meetings that always ended amicably. Of course, trusting other criminals was a mistake in the underworld, but the pair had achieved the closest thing to 'friendship' that could be gained in this kind of place.

"Junior, using your information gathering skills to their fullest, I see." The man had a refined voice. He sipped his wine as Junior responded.

"Caesar. I didn't know that you cared about these kinds of things."

The man called Caesar, which was only a pseudonym, swirled his wine.

"Like yourself, I gather things that interest others. I'm afraid I'm on a tight schedule, so please stand back and allow me to take this item."

"Sorry, but I'm getting this artefact. If I were you, I'd just back out, okay?"

Caesar ignored him and pressed the button.

*BEEP!*

"3 million."

That was a hell of a bid. Junior's money didn't extend as far as Caesar's did, which would make this just as difficult.

Junior, however, had a trump card, the reason Caesar didn't intimidate him.

"Caesar, I don't normally play like this, but I want you to back out of the deal, right now."

Caesar let out a chuckle.

"Junior, you have no right to disperse orders. I suggest you leave this deal, or we will talk no longer in the future."

Junior smiled.

"Fine by me. If you're not backing out, then we REALLY won't be talking."

"Oh? And why should I back out?"

Junior clicked his fingers. The henchman behind Caesar snapped to attention and grabbed the sophisticated man, pinning him. One of the men pushed his head forward.

"What? What is the meaning of this!?"

Junior pressed the button.

*BEEP!*

"3 million and 1 Lien."

"Unhand me, you thugs!"

Caesar struggled against his own men. Junior leaned over the button to talk to the man.

"Caesar, I'll mention this now. Those men you hired? The ones restraining you? They work for me, not you."

"This… this is a sick joke, isn't it? These men that you hire out ALL work for you, don't they?"

"That's right. Every single thug I lend to others are loyal to me. It's just some insurance in case a criminal decides to try and take me out, or refuse to do what I want."

"HA! Fool! When I tell the entire underworld about this, you'll be ruined!"

Junior allowed himself to laugh.

"You won't be making it back to the underworld. 'My' men will send you hogtied to the nearest police station. You're a wanted man. You'll be in prison within the next 24 hours."

Junior walked away as Caesar screamed.

"No! NO! You can't do this! Information, I have more information for you! Please, just don't do this!"

The henchmen dragged the screaming soon-to-be prisoner away. Junior approached the Starlight. It was a shame that he had to betray Caesar like that, but that was the name of this business.

The auctioneer, along with the other criminals who were around the room, were silent throughout the entire affair. The auctioneer handed Junior the Starlight without a word, as he didn't want to be his next victim.

As Junior was leaving, he turned to address the other criminals.

"That's right. All those guards behind you are in my employ. Get any funny ideas about betraying me, or try to tell anybody else about this, and I'll know."

Junior left the stunned criminals, Starlight in hand.

Being a major force in the criminal underworld was a fantastic feeling.

* * *

Author's note- I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Junior probably gets most of his information from these henchmen who he hires to the other criminals. He's gotta get most of his information from somewhere, right?


	16. Chapter 15- Electric and fire

Chapter 15- Electric and fire.

Author's note- I haven't been at this for long, but it's crazy to see how much I've improved since the first few chapters. I may have to go back and edit them.

* * *

**Morning**

Katil was currently the most ambivalent person alive.

Granted, he had to check a dictionary to see what 'ambivalent' meant, but he was sure that it described his feelings perfectly right now. JNPR had left the room already, since he asked them to give him some time to examine the sword he received last night. He was looking at a short sword, recalling how this weapon ended up in his hands.

Last night, he retrieved his delivery from the administration office. It was a quite a heavy box, and he needed the help of Ren to get it back to the dormitory. The lady in the office told him that the package, before arriving in Beacon, was sent to the Vytal postal office by a young man in a long coat and a mask, which raised suspicions for the staff of the office.

Katil knew at once who that person was. It had to be HIM. Who else did he know who wears a mask?

When Ren helped him haul the box up to the dormitory, he wasted no time in tearing the packaging, as everybody in JNPR watched. When the brown wrapping was gone, a huge box made of lead remained, with a slit in the top where it could be opened.

Pyrrha commented that lead was an excellent material in stopping aura and dust effects, due to its atomic structure. The Schnee Dust creation factories were lined with it.

Katil cautiously opened the box, in case it was booby trapped, which he wouldn't put past its previous owner. What was inside the box surprised him to no end.

It was a short sword. It sported a silver bodied blade that melded into a golden edge and point and a large, brown handle that was engraved with several curves, as though whoever made it just plain liked circular lines. A phrase was engraved on the side of the blade, almost ruining its sheer beauty.

"PDA NEODJC OQJ SEHG XQNJ PDA AREH WJZ LQNCA PDA OKQHGANM"

Seriously, it was bad enough that the blade had to be desecrated like this, but it was even worse that the phrase didn't even make sense.

When Katil picked the sword up, Nora tried her best to read the sentence.

"Peda…neodijic…ooqej…seg…xiqunij…

Katil had ignored her as he examined the blade's hilt. There seemed to be straight line on the handle, which was quite distinctive compared to the curved lines. It suggested to Katil that it could be opened, but at the time, Katil was too tired from his weapon testing with Pyrrha and Ren to figure out how to open it.

Something else was in the box. A note. He picked it up and unfolded it where, thankfully, it was written in a real language.

_"Katil, I have heard that you left the Liberators to join Beacon Academy. I want to apologise, but there is a chance that we will never see each other again. My actions were incredibly brusque, and I never wished to harm you, much less break your arm. I can do nothing but believe that this blade will help you in your time at the Academy. Although I disliked the tactics of the Liberators, I admired your abilities and resolve._

_"If we do meet again, I hope that we can fight as allies, although I hope even more that we would not need to fight by this time._

_ -Adam."_

No way. Adam… actually apologised to him? Not only that, but he gave him a weapon? This beggared belief. Really, this was ADAM he was thinking about, the man who has no problem with killing others to achieve his goals. He said that he disliked the Liberators, but he would have fit right in with them.

"Who's Adam?"

Katil jumped, forgetting that JNPR were with him. Jaune had peered over his shoulder to look at the note, much to his annoyance.

"Just an old friend who I had a… disagreement with."

"C'mon, you have friends who just give you weapons? Can I meet them?" Jaune sighed and looked down at his sword. Why did he have to get a hand-me-down instead of a dust rapier or sniper scythe?

"Don't get too jealous. This thing's pretty, but it's only a sword. Hmph… didn't even get a sheath."

Back in current time, Katil was looking down at the silver and gold sword, wondering if he should be pleased or cautious. Sure, there were times when Adam could be genuinely nice. However, there were also times when Adam showed himself to be plain evil.

And considering how there last meeting went, he couldn't imagine Adam suddenly apologising like that.

Yet, that was exactly what happened. There was no reason to be suspicious, because:

A) Adam actually gave him a harmless gift. (Not harmless to Katil, anyway.)

B) That package didn't explode and kill Katil when opened.

Right. He didn't need to worry about Adam's intentions. He just wanted to apologise, that's all. Although Katil couldn't help but wonder…

Why was this sword contained in a lead box?

* * *

Velvet was a surprisingly happy bunny.

It was the first time all week that she was able to sit down and eat her carrot cake without being pelted by peas or laughed at. It was the first time that CRDL had looked at her without them ganging up on her or making her cry. It was the first time that she could be at peace.

When CRDL entered the cafeteria a moment ago, they shot glances at Velvet, and she prepared herself for another gruelling morning. She didn't know what to feel when they ignored her with a grunt and proceeded to the bottom of the hall for breakfast. (What kind of breakfast did Cardin eat that had peas, anyway?)

Despite that, though, when her eyes met that of Cardin's she could practically feel his burning hatred for her.

They might leave her alone for now, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't always stay this way. She would just have to enjoy the peace and loneliness she had for now.

* * *

"So, where's Katil? Today's his big chance to shine and kick some bully ass!"

Everybody else was already in the cafeteria, with Ruby excited for the battle between Katil and Cardin. The second day of their first weekend was beginning with a bang, which was bound to happen if Katil used his crystals. She was sitting alongside Jaune.

"He's still in our room. He wanted to check his new weapon."

"He got a weapon!?" Ruby was particularly excited by this.

"I, ah, wouldn't get too excited. It's pretty much on my weapons' level of boringness."

Jaune was secretly pleased that Katil had a pretty unoriginal weapon. Their weapons might have been the same, but at least Jaune had a shield/sheath.

"Guys! My sword shoots electric!"

Katil came running to them, sword in hand, as Jaune sighed and sank his head into the table, un-amused that his weapon was once again the most boring of them all.

KWNPRBRYJ looked at Katil, who, unable to use both hands, lodged the sword into the ground, twisting the handle clockwise. The golden edge of the blade turned to a vibrant yellow, and the blade began sparking with currents of electricity. Ruby squealed.

"That's so COOL!" Ruby and Katil high-fived each other.

"You know, it is technically impossible for electricity to flow like that, seeing as it is lodged into the ground…" Pyrrha's comment wasn't heard as everybody else, along with some nearby students, was watching Katil practice a few swings,

The electricity, with each swing, travelled a few feet through the air before dispersing, like a wave of energy. Presumably, anyone hit by the wave would be shocked. He would definitely be testing this on Cardin soon.

"Heh… Cardin's screwed." Katil was rather pleased with his new weapon. It almost made up for what Adam did to him. He twisted the handle anti-clockwise, ending the flow of electric, then sat down on the other side of Ruby. He and Ruby were so engrossed in examining the sword that he didn't even bother getting breakfast. The mention of Cardin reminded Yang of the fight, and how they needed to feed Claws.

"Speaking of the fight, we ought to get to our room and… um…" Yang needed a reasonable excuse to get back to their room, as Katil still didn't know about Claws. She looked at her other two team members for support.

"He's oblivious. Just go." Weiss said, seeing that Katil wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

As Jaune looked over at the sword, Yang stole the bacon roll off his plate and ran off without him noticing.

"Hey, did you figure out what that meant?" Jaune indicated the weird phrase on the sword's blade. Nora had a theory about it.

"It's a magic spell, duh!"

"If it's a magic spell, why didn't anything happen when you read the phrase last night?" Ren put her theory to bed almost instantly, knowing that Nora would come up with a theory as ridiculous as that.

"Because… magic stuff!"

Ignoring her, Ren put out his thoughts on the phrase.

"It doesn't seem like another language, since the words are almost impossible to pronounce. It could be a code instead."

Katil was listening, but he wasn't too interested in the phrase. This sword could conjure electricity. What else did he need to know?

"So, the cat's got a new toy? Wouldn't you prefer a scratching post instead?"

Everybody knew who spoke before they even saw him. Cardin and his team had approached the group, their shadows looming over Katil. Jaune gulped and tried to shift away.

"A toy? My friend, this thing will be responsible for your upcoming electrocution and frazzled hair. You've probably been stupid enough to stick your finger in a Dust electrical socket before, so you should know what it feels like." Katil didn't turn to see his adversary, who then grabbed Katil by the collar and forced him to head level.

"Being a freak, you should know what it feels like to have your face beaten to a pulp."

"Isn't that how YOU got such an ugly mug?"

As Cardin was about to punch Katil, Pyrrha got between the 2, and Ren pulled Katil away as Cardin's team members tried to hold him back.

"Save it for the fight." Ren spoke plainly, and Katil and Cardin calmed down. Cardin started to walk away, knowing that his chance to smash the freak to bits was almost here.

Maybe it was just their imagination, but Cardin and his team seemed to be limping slightly. Did all of them get hurt at exactly the same time? Nah, even these guys weren't stupid enough to get themselves all hurt since yesterday.

"Katil, promise me that you'll break some of his bones. Please?" Ruby, although she never usually wished for people to get brutally hurt, was starting to hate CRDL more and more.

"I guarantee it, Shorty."

Nora felt the need to say something.

"GO FOR HIS LEGS!"

* * *

Everybody, except Yang, was now sat in the assembly hall. Katil had taken to the stage, sword in hand, practising his swings while waiting. The stage had been completely repaired since Nora demolished it in her fight with Pyrrha, and its archaic and futuristic designs were back as though nothing had happened. The wall that Nora's hammer was thrown though at the other side of the hall had been plastered, and stood out as it still needed painting.

They had front-row seats to the fight. Several other students, who had heard of the fight, were also situated at other points of the hall, but there weren't as many as when actual training battles took place.

Yang came running to the group, panting.

"Guys… we need to talk about Claws."

"Oh? Does he no longer like bacon?" Weiss was apparently the only one who noticed that Yang stole Jaune's roll instead of getting one from the kitchen. Did Jaune even notice that his breakfast sometimes disappears?

"Not exactly… You're gonna have to see for yourself." Yang couldn't really explain what had happened. It was too awkward. Ruby, although one of Claws' main carers, really didn't want to leave right now.

"Does it have to be NOW? There's about to be awesome violence!"

Nora was a bad influence on her sister, Yang thought. Blake chipped in, not wanting to talk about Claws in public like this.

"We shouldn't discuss Claws here. We can see him later."

Yang wanted to say that they REALLY needed to see what had happened, but the lights started to dim, and the stage was being illuminated.

Katil was listening intently, and was a little annoyed that Blake ended the conversation. There was no way that they were feeding bacon to a gerbil. Blake must have known that he had sensitive hearing and stopped them from saying anything else. Clever girl.

The stage was now fully illuminated. On the other side, Cardin stepped up, mace in hand and a smirk on his face. They didn't need to say anything, and figured that their respective weapons would do the talking.

Goodwitch took the stage, microphone in hand.

"The battle between Katil Klinge and Cardin Winchester will now begin. Remember, this is not an official training battle, meaning that your names will still be on the battle register for the next 3 days of battles."

Fine by Katil. Maybe there was a chance that they would end up fighting again tomorrow.

"Please recall that the fight will end if one person's aura levels lower to a quarter. Alternatively, if a person's weapon has left the stage, they will lose the fight. The fight will begin on the sound of the trumpet."

Everybody waited with bated breath for the trumpet. Katil took a stance that he invented about 30 seconds ago, putting his right leg forward, with the sword stabbed into the ground. He twisted the handle, and the electricity flow started. He didn't actually know how to use something like this, but presumed that even if Cardin blocked his strikes, he would still be electrocuted. That made sense, right?

The trumpet blared.

Cardin made the first move, simply dashing forward despite his large size, closing the distance with the mace raised in a single hand. Katil pulled his sword from the ground, circling around Cardin while slashing.

Cardin, instead of bringing the mace down, quickly turned on the spot, lashing out with a back hand punch. He caught Katil in the mouth, who wheeled backwards, but from surprise more than the pain. Cardin followed up by swinging the mace wildly. Katil raised the sword, and their weapons clashed together.

The electrocution happened instantly. Katil, protected by whatever material the handle of his sword was, watched in amusement as Cardin jumped backwards with a cry. Several bolts of electric struck Cardin, and he could barely move from shock as the volts coursed through his body. Katil stood back, admiring the spectacle that was Cardin lighting up like a Christmas tree.

That little bastard could use electricity! How the hell was he supposed to fight somebody who could keep electrocuting him just with a single touch of the blade?

Katil decided to start his attack. Cardin could do nothing against a sword like this. With a grin, Katil wound up the sword, ready to slash the air that would create a wave of electric energy.

He swiped the sword… to no effect. The electric flow ceased from the sword.

Everybody watched Katil, who was desperately tugging the handle, wondering where the swords' effect had gone.

"C'mon you stupid piece of junk!" Katil continued to twist the handle repeatedly, but the currents were no where to be seen. Why wasn't this thing working?

Cardin burst out laughing. This fight was in the bag.

"Like I said. Just a toy." Secretly, Cardin was glad that the sword wasn't working. He was genuinely worried that he would lose the fight.

As Katil gave up on trying to make the sword activate again, he looked up to see Cardin's mace slam him in the shoulder, and he yelped as he lost the grip on his sword. Before he could be hit again, Katil jumped away to the other side of the stage with impressive agility. His shoulder was burning with pain, and his aura levels dropped by a third.

"Thanks, Adam…" He lamented that the sword Adam gave him was now worthless.

…Adam? Blake had heard Katil mutter something under his breath with her sensitive hearing. He couldn't have been referring to THAT Adam, could he?

Back to crystals, it seems. His sword was still on the stage, near the audience. Maybe he and Ruby can figure out what happened to it later.

Cardin was lumbering toward him again, swinging the mace horizontally, limiting Katil's ability to dodge. He grabbed a cyan crystal, and dropped to the ground. He balanced on his one hand that carried the crystal, and swept Cardin's legs. He came crashing to the ground, but when he landed, he tried to roll and strike out with the mace, hopefully bringing it down on his opponents face.

Katil was already back on his feet, and jumped over Cardin, barely avoiding the mace strike, while dropping the crystal. Cardin's legs froze on the spot, preventing him from moving. Katil grabbed a red crystal. It looked like a simple victory.

Cardin wasn't done. His mace had a unique function. He flicked a switch on the side of the handle.

As Katil approached the immobile Cardin, crystal in hand, he barely had time to jump back as a flaming mace threatened to break his leg.

"What in the hell!?" Katil had no idea that Cardin's weapon had a function like that. The head of the mace was actually on fire. On closer inspection, however, he noticed that a red crystal was inserted in the centre of the head.

Katil was cautious about attacking Cardin, as he could be incinerated instantly with something like that. Cardin smashed the ice holding him in place, and stood, looking at Katil with fury in his eyes and a flaming mace in his hands.

That was odd. Ruby was inspecting the sword that teetered off the edge of the stage. The handle looked like it had opened, and a dull, grey crystal had rolled out. Weiss noticed this as well, and, being very familiar with Dust, already figured out why the sword stopped using the electricity effect. She called out to Katil.

"Katil, I suggest you retrieve your sword!" Katil didn't even turn to look at her.

"Ma'am, that thing's useless!"

"I think not, you dolt! It uses Dust!"

"Dust? How?"

Katil rolled towards the sword as Cardin swiped down, and he dropped the red crystal he was holding. The ground flared in a burst of flame, and Cardin struck the ground once more, sending a pillar of flame at his enemy.

Katil picked up the sword, and was about to receive an explanation from Weiss when he needed to dive away, narrowly missing the attack.

Katil saw that the handle had opened, presumable when he dropped it, and recalled that he noticed a slit in the handle when he saw the sword last night. The size of the opened handle was perfect for a crystal, or maybe even powdered Dust could be put inside.

He laid the sword on the ground, reaching for any crystal in his pocket, and jammed it into the handle. It snapped shut without any force.

Cardin was done with this guy. He charged at Katil with a roar, about to bring the mace down and finish this fight.

Katil twisted the handle. The edge now turned white, and he assumed that he put a white crystal inside. He wasn't sure what effect this would have on the blade, but it was time to find out.

He swiped the sword upwards at Cardin, who was swinging his flaming mace. The weapons clashed, but although Cardin was the strongest of the 2, he was the one who was thrown into the air.

The entire room watched in awe as he soared through the air, landing back down while shouting various obscenities. He still held his mace, and was about to return the favour when Katil sprinted towards him, swinging the sword like a club.

The air distorted and turned a tint of white, and although the sword didn't even connect with him, Cardin was thrown across the stage like he was hit by a bull. The air had been knocked out of him, but he got to his feet once again, and as he was about to reciprocate, Katil rushed and struck him one last time. Cardin flew off the stage and into the audience, reminding Jaune of when he was blasted away by Yang.

With a groan, Cardin fell unconscious, and the flames on his mace ceased.

There was a moment of silence from the audience, when almost everybody burst out laughing, glad to see that Cardin got what he deserved.

Katil hopped off the stage, casually toting the sword on his shoulder, which was still in pain from when he was hit earlier. He approached the group with a suave smile.

"Just another day." He hoped that his victory wooed the girls, but everybody was now interested in his sword. Weiss inspected it closely.

"Interesting… it seems to use Dust as a source for its effects, similar to Myrtenaster."

"So, the crystals are 'Katil-lysts?'" Yang looked around to see if anybody noticed the joke. They didn't. Well, she would just have to use it again at some point.

Weiss picked up the dull crystal that rolled off the stage. It was previously inside the handle, and it must have been a yellow one, seeing as electricity can be created from these colour crystals. What interested her, though, is that the crystal was now a dull grey. Maybe the sword drains the colour of the crystal with use? She would have to confirm this with Katil later, as there seemed to be differences with her own sword, which also uses Dust.

It occured to Pyrrha that the sword was in a lead box last night, when it was opened. This must have been done as if the crystal activated, there would be serious problems for whoever was lifting the box at the time. The lead, however, would have stopped the effect of the crystal.

"Ooh, put a purple crystal inside!" Ruby wanted to try out the sword herself. Ren, however, foresaw a problem with this sword.

"Katil, do you recall what I told you about your crystal usage?"

"I know, Ren. I'm supposed to have a weapon so I don't use as many of them. This thing kinda beats the purpose, huh?"

"That's right. I suggest you don't use its special function for now."

"BORING!" Nora was not impressed with this.

There was a moment of peace when everybody, including the other students in the audience, was discussing the fight. Katil certainly made an impression on them. Unfortunately, not all of them were good, as Katil could hear other teams talking about him.

"He's still a freak. Did you see those ears?"

"How ghastly. I would never associate myself with a Faunus, the scum."

What the hell were these peoples' problem? He didn't do anything to them, and even beat the school bully in a fight. They didn't even know him.

It didn't matter. He was friends with a bunch of awesome people who accepted him despite how furry his ears were. He didn't need anyone else.

* * *

Author's note- I'm only guessing at the function of Cardin's mace. It really does have a red gem of some kind in the centre.


	17. Chapter 16- Reactions and pick-ups

Chapter 16- Reactions and pick-ups.

**Midday**

Yang, after the match between Cardin and Katil, insisted that everybody go to RWBY's dormitory to see what had happened with Claws. As KWNPRBRYJ entered the room, deciding that they should introduce Katil to their 'pet,' they all had different reactions to the scene.

Weiss- "This is a TRAVESTY! Why did we decide to keep this silly Grimm?"

Ruby- "That's it, no more cookies for you, Mister!"

Jaune- "So, you girls like the Achieve Men, huh? I 'might' be able to get tickets to their next concert, if any of you lovely ladies would like to accompany me."

Yang- "That stupid Grimm! If he wasn't so cute, I'd punch his teeth out!"

Pyrrha- "I cannot help but wonder what caused Claws to do this."

Nora- *BURP!*

Ren- "Nora, cover your mouth when you burp. And you didn't brush your teeth this morning, did you?"

Blake- "…"

Katil- "YOUR PET IS A GRIMM!?"

The room before them was a mess, in many ways. The bunk beds had collapsed, as the books and ropes that held them together had been shredded. The cabinets and bookshelves had been torn to pieces, their contents scattered across the floor. (Much to Blake's silent despair, Ninja's of Love was visible.) Parts of the wallpaper had been ripped straight off the walls, revealing the bricks that shaped the room.

And in the middle of it all was Claws, sitting on his hind legs and looking up at the group. Ruby stomped over and picked him up, staring into his red eyes.

"You are in BIG trouble, Mister!"

Weiss made her way through the mess, examining the damage.

"Broken bunk beds. Ruined homework and study books. My favourite painting of the Forever Fall, DESTROYED! How on earth does a single Grimm cause so much damage in such a short space of time?"

Pyrrha observed the Grimm that whimpered in Ruby's arms. She drew her attention to his paws, which had a startling new feature.

"It seems that he now has grown claws." She pointed to the newly grown set of claws that protruded from his front paws. Ruby lifted him to get a better look, and everybody voiced their response, like when they first saw the room.

Ruby- "Claws' got claws!?"

Pyrrha- "It seems that by growing claws, Claws can now cause superficial damage."

Katil- "WHO THE HELL KEEPS A GRIMM AS A PET!? HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?"

Jaune- "Are you girls gonna be safe now that Claws has claws? You 4 could always stay in our room, y'know."

Weiss- "Jaune, you will not be coaxing any of us into your room, for a myriad of reasons."

Blake- "…"

Nora- "Claws has claws? Let's set him on Cardin!"

Ren- "I suggest that you start trimming Claws' claws so that this doesn't happen again. And so that Cardin doesn't get killed."

Yang- "Maybe Claws wasn't such a good name."

With a sigh, Ruby put the Grimm down, and he crawled over to the corner, sensing that the group wasn't happy with him. Ruby couldn't possibly bring herself to discipline him, especially now that he was cowering in the corner. She Knelt down next to him and petted his head, much to Weiss' annoyance.

"Ruby, you cannot pet him after this sort of behaviour! You must discipline him, understand?"

"But…"

"No buts, Ruby. This is the only way he'll learn."

Before Ruby could say anything, Weiss picked up the quivering Grimm and put him in the bathroom, closing the door. His yelps could be heard from inside, making Ruby turn to Weiss in anger.

"You can't do that! He's scared!"

"He's learning that it's not acceptable to use his newly grown claws to tear our room apart."

Ruby wasn't going to stand for this.

"Princess, I don't know how you used to treat your pets when you lived in a castle, but here, it's down to what everybody else thinks!"

"Is that so? Well, in that case, let's see what everybody else thinks."

The pair turned to the rest of the group.

"Pyrrha, your thoughts?"

"I'm sorry, Ruby, but I agree with Weiss. We cannot treat him differently to how we treat other pets when they have misbehaved. Discipline is needed here."

Ruby wanted to argue her point, but it seemed like a lost cause. Everybody except her and Yang were nodding or agreeing in some way. Ruby looked towards Yang to help her.

"Sorry, Sis, but even I've gotta agree with her. Ya' can't keep pets and not punish them when they do something wrong."

Ruby was heart-broken. Her own sister didn't agree with her. Weiss, not wanting to create a rift between herself and the team leader, tried to reach a compromise with Ruby.

"Ruby, I apologise, but this is what's best for him. We can let him out later. In the meantime, I believe you asked for help with Professor Oobleck's essay?"

"I don't want your help anymore." Ruby pouted, and childishly stormed out of the room, leaving a trail of rose petals. Weiss called out into the corridor.

"This is ridiculous! When something hasn't gone your way, you act like a child! You're still as much as a child as you were on initiation day!"

Ruby heard her, but still carried on, regardless. She didn't care what that stuck-up princess had to say anymore.

* * *

After the discussion, everybody helped to tidy up the room. Yang wanted to go and find her sister, but decided that she would need some space. Claws could still occasionally be heard from the bathroom, but they ignored him, for now. When they were finished, the room still looked untidy, due mostly to the wallpaper that was scratched off the walls. Mostly, however, everything seemed to be in place.

"Why… why do you keep a Grimm as a pet?" Katil was still in disbelief that Claws was a Grimm. Everybody ignored his question, and Weiss sighed.

"Yang, do you suppose that your child of a sister would have calmed down by now?" Yang didn't like her choice of words.

"Look, Ruby can be… emotional, sometimes, sure. But that doesn't mean that she's a child. She just didn't like what you did with him, that's all."

"What 'I' did was agreed upon by all of you. She was the only one who disagreed, which was fine, granted that she wouldn't throw a tantrum. Yet, that is precisely what she did. If you don't believe she acted like a child, then how would you say she did act?"

Yang tutted, not wanting to believe that the princess was actually right.

After they were done, everybody went their separate ways.

* * *

Katil, Jaune and Ren were currently sat in the assembly hall, making small talk to pass the time.

"C'mon, how is anybody good with air travel? I always throw up when I look out the window."

"Then don't look out the window, dumbass."

"Calling him a dumbass may be excessive."

Katil leaned back on his chair, his back to the stage. Less than 3 hours ago, he beat Cardin using a sword given to him by somebody he hated. Now he was struggling to find something to do for the rest of the weekend. Jaune and Ren were also in the same position, and secretly wanted the week to start so that they could do something.

Katil could hear the scratching of a pencil nearby. It sounded like somebody was doing their homework in the hall. He looked toward the source of the noise, sort of expecting it to be Ruby, as Weiss commented earlier that there was an essay for Professor Oobleck due soon. Instead, it was a girl with rabbit ears. He had an idea for how to kill time.

"Jaune, I dare you to go talk to that girl."

Jaune looked behind him to see a cute girl with rabbit ears sitting by herself, doing homework.

"Huh? Talk to her? Why?"

"Well, you keep saying that you're well versed in the art of flirting, so let's see how good you really are."

Jaune was feeling slightly intimidated for several reasons. For one, he had never seen this girl before, except for when Katil somehow made her cry recently. He found it relatively easy to flirt with the girls he knew because, well, they knew that he never took flirting seriously. He never expects them to actually join him on a trip to the AM's next concert.

What's the worst that could happen? She just asks him to leave her alone? Right, there's no need to be intimidated.

"Okay, I'll go."

With a gulp, Jaune stood and made his way to the girl. He became friends with Ruby by helping her when she was in need, but this wasn't the case here. He actually tried to be friends with Ruby, whereas his goal here was to flirt with the girl. He tried to think of topics to talk about. Before he thought of one, however, he was standing in front of the girl, speechless.

Velvet had almost finished Oobleck's essay when a shadow loomed over her. She had grown accustomed to this shadow belonging to Cardin and his team, so her first instinct was to slam her book shut out of fear.

As she looked up, however, she saw that it was a rather nervous looking blonde boy. He opened his mouth, trying to say something.

"Umm… hi! Umm…"

He was almost as tragic as she was when speaking to people. She felt kind of sorry for him. Perhaps she should try to say something.

"Hello…"

"Hi!"

Apparently, he couldn't think of anything to say other than 'hi.' Was there something wrong with him?

"Do you… have a speech impediment?"

Jaune was almost shocked to hear that.

"W-WHAT!? No, It's just that…"

C'mon, Jaune, now's not the time to be nervous. Just bring out one of your best pick-up lines.

"I bet you've seen a ton of accidents, because guys must fall for your looks all the time!"

* * *

Ren didn't need the hearing of a Faunus to hear that Jaune just got slapped.

Katil was slowly clapping as Jaune made his way back to his seat, holding a hand to his cheek.

"Telling her that she causes accidents with her looks, when she's a Faunus. Real smooth, Jaune-y boy."

"I-I didn't mean it like that! I was saying that she was pretty!"

Ren sighed.

"It didn't come across that way. Remember, she may have been discriminated because of her looks."

Katil nodded.

"As a fellow Faunus, I can say with confidence that I don't want a human commenting on my looks. I've been discriminated 'cus of my ears as well, you know?"

"Why didn't you TELL ME!?" Jaune rubbed his cheek where he was slapped. Katil turned to Ren, smirking.

"Ren, you're next." Ren was thrown off by how Katil wanted him to go talk to her.

"I don't think so. Flirting isn't my area of expertise."

"That's okay, it wasn't Jaune's either." Jaune didn't agree with that comment, but did agree on one thing.

"C'mon, if I had to go talk to her, then you do as well. Or… does Nora not let you talk to other girls?" Ren almost choked on his own tongue as he thought of a counter.

"T-That's ridiculous! Me and Nora are lifelong friends, and are not boyfriend and girlfriend, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. You're secretly lovers and she has you whipped, right?"

This was the first time Jaune ever saw Ren actually angry.

"No, Jaune, listen to me! We are only friends, and she does not have me on a leash! Just because a boy and girl are best friends, doesn't mean that they are lovers!"

Katil leaned forward with a grin.

"Well, you won't have any problems with talking to that girl, right?"

Ren growled and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Fine. I'll go talk to her, but both of you will stop thinking that me and Nora are lovers, understand?"

"We understand. Now go flirt with the pretty girl."

Ren composed himself, ashamed that he actually got angry. He walked over to the girl, his palms sweating.

* * *

Velvet had overheard parts of their conversation. After hearing that the blonde boy was only complimenting her, she wanted to go and apologise for slapping him. She stopped when the cat-eared boy spoke, explaining that looks can be a sensitive topic for a Faunus. He seemed like a nice guy, except for the fact that he co-ercing the other 2 into talking to her.

She wasn't sure what to do when the boy with the magenta streak approached her. It sounded like he didn't want to talk to her, so maybe she should just reject him now to save him from embarrassment.

"If you don't want to talk to me, then you don't have to." Velvet tried to sound as civilised as possible. Ren figured that she had heard them, but was surprised that she did so. It seems that all types of Fauna have excellent hearing. Still, he wanted to talk to her to prove that he and Nora weren't a couple, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

"No, no, I do want to talk, but it's just to prove a point to them."

Velvet looked sad, which started ringing alarm bells in Ren's mind.

"I see… You're just using me."

"Ah! No, wait! I'm not using you! I-I do want to talk to you, but-"

"-You just said that you're only talking to me to prove something to them."

It had only been 10 seconds, yet Ren managed to make her upset and was stumbling over his own words.

"Hang on! I DO want to talk to you to become friends, it's just-"

"Ren? WHAT THE HELL!?" The situation just turned from bad to worst.

Nora was standing in the entrance of the assembly hall, throwing the doors back in fury. She stormed over to him, rage in her eyes.

"You told me that we were doing our essay today, but you're here talking to cute girls!"

Ren was fear-stricken before the wrath of Nora.

"Nora, wait, I can explain! They thought that me and you were-"

"No explaining! You're coming with me, and that's final!"

Jaune and Katil burst out laughing as Nora dragged Ren away, who was crying out for her stop.

"No, Noraaaaa!" Ren's cries could be heard until the doors of the assembly slammed shut.

Katil recovered with a sigh.

"Looks like it's my turn." Before Jaune could even look up, Katil was already halfway over to her.

Velvet now put her books away as the Faunus sat next to her.

"So, what's your name, Sweety?"

Meekly, she looked up at Katil.

"…Velvet."

"Katil. Tell me; do you think that guy is whipped?" He was referring to Ren being pulled away by Nora. Velvet suppressed a laugh.

"Yeah, kind of…"

She giggled as she thought about the scene. Katil took this as a sign to continue.

"So, what's a cute girl doing all by herself in the assembly hall?"

"I was just doing homework…" She looked down at her bag. Katil wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"Okay, wrong question. I actually wondered why you're by yourself."

She didn't know what to tell him. She didn't have any friends, not even her team members wanted to talk to her. Maybe it was best to just avoid the question and change topics.

"I saw you beat Cardin earlier."

"Nice try, but you're not changing topics like that." Katil wanted to know if she actually had friends at this place. Velvet looked away from him.

"Just stop… I don't want to talk about it."

"Look, if you've got no friends, then just say so. I'm more than happy to be somebody's friend, especially with a fellow Faunus."

"…Being a Faunus should have nothing to do with who you be friends with."

"I completely agree, y'know? It shouldn't stop you from having friends. Still, there's always a bunch of jerks who bully you because of it, right?"

Velvet only nodded In response.

"Look, if you don't want to be friends with me, that's fine. But I'm not gonna stop trying to be friendly with you, 'cus I don't like seeing somebody who's lonely, okay?"

Velvet didn't say anything as Katil got up. She couldn't believe how stupid she just was. All he was doing was trying to be her friend, but she had to comment on how it was just because they were Fauna. Velvet didn't want to make friends with someone just because of their similarities, she wanted friends who couldn't care less about her ears. Velvet needed to say something, but couldn't think of anything as he walked away.

Velvet left, trying to fight back tears.

"Uhh, is she gonna be okay?" Jaune asked as Katil returned.

"She'll be fine. I think she just needs to realise that I want to be her friend because she's lonely, not just because she's a Faunus."

* * *

"Glynda, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Goodwitch and Ozpin were walking along the courtyards, where the reconstruction of Goodwitch's office could be seen. The repair men were doing an excellent job on her office, Ozpin thought, as he saw several men building the missing wall. Goodwitch was tapping various icons on her scroll, managing multiple tasks at once.

"A question? By all means, please ask."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee.

"Are you a fan of comic books?"

Time seemed to freeze for a split second as Goodwitch stopped tapping her scroll.

"Me, a fan of comic books? Perish the thought, Sir."

"If I am completely incorrect, I apologise. It's just that I couldn't help but notice that the collection of 'Samurai League' was an item on the list of damages in the repair bills."

Goodwitch was silent, and resumed her tasks on the scroll. It was clear that she didn't want to talk about this, possibly out of embarrassment, so Ozpin respected her silence. The duo made their way to Ozpin's office.

* * *

Ruby sat in the library, deciding that she would go somewhere where nobody could find her. Only a couple of people were here as well, a pair of upper-class boys who were studying fervently. Did they really have nothing better to do on a weekend? Actually, did she?

She had a book in her hand titled 'cookie making for beginners.' Ruby wanted to complete Oobleck's essay, but she couldn't do it without the help of someone smarter. Like Weiss. Now she wished that she didn't storm away from her earlier.

It wasn't fair on Claws. He knew that he did something wrong, so why did they have to punish him? Was she the only one who saw how scared he was?

"Well, this is unexpected. I would have thought that you would be playing with dolls, not reading."

Ruby jumped out of her thoughts and snapped the book shut. She looked up to see, speak of the devil, Weiss.

"I don't play with dolls! Isn't that what a spoiled Princess would play with?"

Weiss scoffed.

"Dolls are for children. You understand what point I'm making, correct?" Ruby rolled her eyes.

"I get it. You think I'm a child." Weiss sat next to her leader.

"Exactly. I understand that as you care for Claws, you wouldn't want to see him being punished like that."

Ruby didn't say anything as Weiss continued.

"You were right when you said that keeping Claws is a group effort, and everybody should participate in how he is kept, but you cannot throw a tantrum if something doesn't go your way, understand?"

"Of course I understand! I just don't understand how nobody saw how scared he was when you locked him away!"

"Ruby, even if he gave the biggest puppy-dog eyes, you must always be ready to discipline him if he misbehaves. That is how you teach him that he has done wrong."

Ruby couldn't think of anything else to say on the matter. She was the leader, and she acted like a child.

"Ruby, I trust you have nothing more to say?"

"No…" She hated it when Weiss was right.

"Good."

There was a moment of silence before Ruby needed to ask something.

"Why did you REALLY want to keep Claws?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said that you felt sorry for him, but why?"

"He had no mother or anybody to take care of him, so I thought it would be best if he stayed with us."

"That's it? No super-duper-secret reasons?"

"No. Now drop it. Do you still want help with this essay?"

"Yeah."

As Weiss was about to open her books, she noticed the 2 boys who were on the other side of the room. They were too far away to have over-heard their discussion, but they still recognised Weiss. She didn't particularly want to talk to them if Ruby was around.

"We'll do it in our dormitory. We can let Claws out now."

"YES! Let's go get some cookies for him!" Excitedly, Ruby leapt up and ran out of the library. Weiss followed her, but not before the 2 boys called out to her.

"Having to teach the idiots again, Schnee? You could join us, if you wish."

"Not now, Geoffrey." Weiss left without looking at them.

* * *

Author's note- Well, I finished Ace Attorney 5, so now I'm going to have to wait another 3 years to get my AA fix.

My author's notes are always focused on this story, as you can tell.


	18. Chapter 17- It tastes like burning

Chapter 17- It tastes like burning

Author's note- Earlier, in the face of random disconnects, cheap bosses and next to no ammo, me and my friend finished Resident Evil 6 on No Hope difficulty. Our souls may never recover from such a stupid f****** ordeal.

* * *

**Night**

"Now that we have ascertained the abilities of the Luminescent, our attention should be turned to the Shattered Mirror."

The 4 Professors stood around the Shattered Mirror in the practice hall. The area had been untouched all day long, except by the janitors who cleaned out the ice left by the Professors' exploits with CRDL the previous night.

"Indeed, Madam Goodwitch. Alas, our previous attempts to discover its powers have proved fruitless." Port stood beside Goodwitch, looking down on the pieces of the mirror. He placed a trunk of crystals on the ground.

Ozpin took a sip from his mug.

"The Luminescent utilised Dust, so a fair assumption can be that this mirror also uses Dust, but in a different way."

Without being asked, Port took a white crystal and threw it at the mirror. Nothing special happened, and the mirror was sent into the air. The 9 reflective pieces never strayed far from each other, like a piece of invisible string held them together, and they landed on the ground with several clinks. The mirror was untouched. Oobleck zoomed around, examining the mirror at blistering speeds.

"Unaffected! Completely unaffected! Not a scratch on its surfaces!"

Goodwitch glanced at Ozpin.

"Perhaps a more brutal line of thinking is needed, such as with the Luminescent, Sir."

Ozpin adjusted his glasses, then pulled out the sword in his cane. Goodwitch was implying that he should stab it. He handed her his coffee mug and approached the artefact, sword raised. Without even checking to see if everybody was prepared for whatever consequences should arise, he thrust the sword into the centre piece of the mirror. The group braced themselves to be blown across the room.

Nothing happened.

The sword was simply deflected with a silver burst of light. The sound of metal on glass rang throughout the room, and the Professors were relieved that they weren't blasted away.

Ozpin sheathed his sword and Goodwitch handed him his coffee mug. He bent down and picked up a single piece, dragging the other parts along with it.

"Immune to both Dust and physical strikes. Interesting."

Port paced back and forth.

"Nary a scratch when confronted by any forms of attack. What manor of witchcraft is this?"

"An excellent question, Peter. However, without information, there is very little we can do to determine the cause of its invulnerability. We learned of the Luminescent's powers through a tip, but I fear we have no such thing in this case."

Ozpin wished that his friend who sent him the Artefact had told him just a single thing about it. They were completely clueless about it.

"I'm afraid that our research on this Artefact is at a stand-still. We will have to rely on Professor Peach finding information on the other 2 Artefacts, as we can do nothing with the mirror at this time."

The 4 Professors agreed. Professor Peach had been given a leave of absence temporarily so that he could discover the location of the remaining 2 artefacts, but he hadn't been heard from for a matter of days. What was taking him so long?

Goodwitch picked up the mirror, and the Professors left to go to their respective offices.

As Oobleck glanced one last time at the mirror, he was almost startled, but when he blinked, whatever had caused the reaction was gone.

For a split second, Oobleck could have sworn he saw an eye looking at him.

* * *

"This better be worth it. I paid 3 million and lost a business partner for this thing."

"Have no fear, Junior, you will be compensated."

Torchwick and Junior were sat in Torchwick's hideout, which was populated only by a table piled with papers and diagrams along with a couple of chairs. The area was mostly dark, with the large windows allowing the moonlight to enter the room.

A woman in a red dress and high heels stood by the window, not speaking to them and simply looking at the moon. The only part of her face that was visible were her yellow eyes, which unnerved Junior to no end. She hadn't moved from the window since Junior had arrived, Starlight in hand.

Junior placed the Starlight on the table. He had tried to open it earlier today, but to no effect. The dull grey orb was seemingly nothing special, with its only feature of note being a slit across the circumference.

Torchwick picked up the orb and tried to pull it open. He was slightly frustrated by how it wouldn't open, but he suspected that accessing a Shining Artefacts' power wouldn't be easy.

"We can discuss payment in a moment. For now, I would rather figure out how this thing worked." Junior shrugged, not caring about how long this would take. Honestly, he was curious about this thing as well.

Torchwick examined the slit in the orb, as though he were an archaeologist who had discovered, well, an ancient artefact. After a few minutes of pulling, prodding, and stabbing with a knife, he slammed the artefact down on the table, annoyed by his failure.

"Blast! How does this thing work?"

The woman in red suddenly turned from the window, and grabbed the Starlight and threw it on the ground without saying a word. She held her hands forward as a high pitch noise was emitted, and a pillar of flame erupted from the ground, engulfing the Starlight in flames, much to Torchwick's dismay.

"Crimson, for the love of God-" As Torchwick was about to chastise her for setting the Artefact on fire, he and Junior opened their mouths as the Starlight slowly opened up.

"It needs aura…" The woman called Crimson whispered to herself, as though she had an epiphany. Torchwick heard her, and considered the statement odd as she was the one who actually opened it. If she didn't think aura would open it, what was she really doing to it? He pushed the question to the back of his mind.

An incredibly penetrating golden light filled the room, and the trio shielded their eyes. The light continued until it was almost unbearable for them to keep their eyes open, and ceased with another high pitched bang, similar to when Crimson summoned flames. A light still shone from the Artefact, but without its previous intensity.

"What… what was that?" Torchwick was confused, as was Junior.

"Looks like we've found the ultimate in seizure-causing technology."

Torchwick ignored Junior and approached the Starlight. Now that it was open, it wasn't quite so dull to look at. It was split in half, the semi-spheres each containing what looked like a shining gem, quite a contrast to the grey shells that contained them. Torchwick bent down next to the open segments.

One of the 2 parts had an inscription inside, but it was too bright for him to make out. On inspection, there was nothing else that seemed special, much to his disappointment.

Crimson straightened all of a sudden. She had a bad feeling. She grabbed Torchwick by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"What are you doing-"

Junior stood to attention, seeing what Crimson saw.

"…the hell?"

The area in front of the 2 semi-spheres had distorted, swirling like a black hole. It sucked the colours themselves out of the room, like the distortion drained everything in sight. The trio stood before it, wanting to know what was about to happen.

A claw. It stretched from the centre of the distortion, grasping at the air above the Starlight. A second claw now appeared, and grabbed the edge of the wormhole as though it were solid, and it pulled the rest of its body inside.

A Beowolf had come through the distortion. It sniffed the ground, then reared its head towards the ceiling, taking in the surroundings. The trio only watched it, stunned that the Starlight was somehow responsible for this. They couldn't think of a single explanation for why a Beowolf had appeared from nowhere, but they knew that the Artefact was the cause

The Beowolf noticed the group. With a roar, it crouched down, ready to pounce on them. Torchwick snatched his cane from the table and took aim at the monster.

With a bang, he fired the cane as it leaped at them, and the high caliber bullet ripped it half, sending its body parts scattering across the room.

"More of them…" Crimson whispered, loud enough for the other 2 to hear. As she said it, sure enough, more Grimm dragged themselves through the portal. It had expanded in size, like it was acknowledging how many beings were passing through it.

This time, an Ursa and a pair of Beowolves jumped through, landing on the ground in a pile. Junior dashed behind the table, picking up his bat-zooka. He brought it in case he and Torchwick had a disagreement, but he never expected to end up fighting Grimm with it.

Crimson was already preparing an attack as the Grimm picked themselves up. Before they had a chance to move, a blast of fire struck the Ursa in the face, lighting it on fire. It screeched and tried to roll in the floor, but it was too late; the fire had burned it to ashes. The beowolves witnessed the burning, but still decided to attack. With a wave of her hand, a tongue of flame sprouted before her, extending towards her adversaries. They tried to run, but the coil of flame wrapped itself around them, like a snake coiling around its prey. The Beowolves roared in pain as the flames cut through their bodies, squeezing and burning them simultaneously. Her grip on the flame tongue loosened, and they fell to the floor, partly in ashes.

The portal continued to spout Grimm in greater numbers. It expanded again, this time spewing a dozen small Beowolves. They skittered across the ground, confused about how they ended up here, then sighted the trio.

Junior lifted the bat-zooka onto his shoulders, and opened fire at the group. A volley of missiles soared across the room before finding their targets. Several blasts sent the Beowolves out of the windows or into the walls. A couple remained, and jumped at him as he wound his bat. When they were in range, he swiped at them, taking the pair out with a single strike. Their bones were surely smashed to pieces as they landed against the wall, heads first.

The room shook as the portal began to throw out another wave of Grimm. Torckwick was getting sick of this game.

"That blasted Artefact is responsible for this! Close the damn thing!"

Crimson heard him, but didn't respond, and Junior nodded in agreement.

However, they weren't about to reach the Artefact easily.

The portal expanded once more, and the roof collapsed as it couldn't suppress the sheer size of what was coming next. The trio ducked away as rubble landed onto the ground, breaking the room apart. A dark, enormous fist broke through the portal, and Crimson rolled out of the way. A roar could be heard before its face even appeared, and its red eyes could be seen through the warped space before them.

It now revealed itself, pulling its fist back and stepping out of the portal, its head breaking the roof like it was a mild inconvenience. The beast resembled an Ursa, with a giant black and white mask covering its face and upper body. Red stripes covered its lower body, with its legs and arms fur-less, revealing the muscles it used to crush its prey. The beast looked down on the group, who prepared themselves for a real fight.

In the distance, alarms sounded. The entire local area must be seeing this monster right now, and no doubt the Vale police force were en route, which was bad news for the criminals.

"I don't know about you 2, but I don't want to end in prison with Caesar and the other criminals we've back-stabbed over the years." Junior casually stated his concerns.

"Agreed, so let's kill this damn thing and take the Artefact!" Torchwick shouted above the sound of crumbling walls.

The monster, with a deafening cry, swiped its claws wildly at the trio, who all jumped backwards. Junior and Torchwick landed on their backs, but Crimson gracefully rolled onto her feet. With a hand gesture and a high pitched noise, a pillar of flame rose up under both of its feet. It seemed to dance around the pillars, sending even more of the building crashing to the ground. The flames had barely hurt it, and it raised both of its paws, ready to smash the group.

Junior hoisted the bat-zooka, taking aim at the monsters' face, and opened fire. The rockets flew straight into the mask and exploded, but not a dent was made. He fired again, aiming at the paws in the hopes that he would prevent it from smashing them to pieces. At the same time, Crimson fired a blast of fire into the air at the paws, not caring about what Junior was doing.

The fire and missiles collided in the air before they reached the monster, who seemed to laugh at their failed co-operation. Junior glanced at Crimson.

"You idiot! We're not taking it down if you pull crap like that!" Crimson looked at Junior, snarling.

"Stay out of my way, fool. I don't need your help!"

As Torchwick was about to stop them from fighting each other, the Grimm brought his enormous paws down on them. They tried their best to leap away, and they avoided the main attack, but the building now couldn't stand, and they all were brought to the ground as the building collapsed.

"Out of the windows!" Torchwick managed to shout as the rest of the ceiling fell, causing them to scatter across the room, avoiding the places where the floor broken. The Grimm tried to swipe at Torchwick, and he skilfully slid under it as it passed over him. While he was still moving on his back, he aimed the cane upwards and fired a bullet at the monsters' face, but the bullet ricocheted off, being sent into the sky where the ceiling once was.

The trio reached the windows, where most of the glass had already been shattered. The monster tried once more to swipe at them, and they all dived out of the building.

The building they jumped out of was 2 floors high, and Crimson was the only one who had landed perfectly on her feet. The other 2 landed on their backs with a grunt. They were now in the street, where several people had gathered to see what was happening.

The building now completely collapsed under the weight of the monster, who broke through what was left of it with a roar. Screams could be heard as the locals ran in fear.

"Call the police! They're criminals!"

"Where did it come from!?"

Torchwick had other concerns that didn't involve these people.

"Where did the Artefact go?"

They didn't have time to look for it, as the Grimm reared its head and attempted to stamp on them. Junior and Torchwick got to their feet and scurried away before they were crushed.

Crimson pointed her hands at the ground, and jumped while shooting fire. She propelled herself away and onto the roof of a building on the other side of the street. Raising a single hand, a stream of fire burst forth and into its mask. The fire scorched it, but no real damage was done. She accomplished her goal, however, and the monster decided that she was the immediate threat. Torchwick gave a nod of thanks toward his companion, although he couldn't tell if she saw it.

"Junior, help her and distract it! I need to find the damn Artefact." Without waiting for a reply, Torchwick jumped into the rubble of the destroyed building, pulling pieces away to find it.

Junior didn't want to work with her, but Torchwick's plan was the best plan they had for now. Junior, who was looking at the back of the Grimm as it looked at Crimson, fired the rockets once again. They flew into the back of its head, exploding at the point of which the mask connected with its head. This caused a reaction, and the beast screeched in pain.

Junior shouted out to Crimson.

"That mask's gonna need to go!"

Crimson heard him, and took it upon herself to de-mask it. As the Grimm staggered across the street, crushing another building in its wake, she blasted herself into the air again, landing on its head.

Stretching out both hands, she produced a pair of flaming spikes, as though she were demonstrating just how flexible her aura abilities were, and rammed them into the odd looking plasma that connected the head with the mask.

She jumped off and into the street as it reached behind its head while screeching in pain. The Grimm's paws were too big to extract the spikes, and fumbled around, creating craters in the earth as it stamped around trying to stop the pain.

"Aim carefully, Fool." Crimson directed, and raised a hand. What appeared to be a circle of orange light shot out from her hand and levitated above the monster. Junior wasn't sure what would happen, but he fired his rockets at the circle.

The rockets were absorbed into the circle, disappearing from view. A moment later, when the Grimm was regaining its balance, a maelstrom of meteors burst forth from the rune, showering its head in molten rocks and flames. The spikes of flame now dissipated, and the mask was slowly coming apart from its face. A meteor rammed itself into one of the newly formed gaps, exploding and breaking the mask from the inside.

Parts of the mask fell apart, exposing the Grimm's face bit by bit. Its face was quite a contrast to the rest of its body, as it consisted of black and yellow patches. It was quite possibly one of the oddest looking Grimm they had seen.

Now it was angry, and with a frightening roar, it lumbered toward the pair as fast as it could, tremors following it with every step. Crimson blasted herself away while Junior simply ran to the side. It turned on its heels as it passed the pair, and brought his paw down on Crimson as she was about to fire at its face.

Although she raised a barrier of flame, Crimson was still hit, and she was hurtled across the street. No serious injuries. Good. She picked herself up, her arms flaring, ready to pay it back.

Junior was out of rockets. Unfortunately, he didn't carry spare rockets with him due to the bulk, and the weapon could only hold so many at a time. He didn't know what to do right now, so stood back to see if Crimson could deal with this thing.

Torchwick found it. The gems on the inside of the Starlight were still glowing brightly, and he pulled a chunk of rock away to pick it up. It was still open, but the portal that summoned the Grimm was now gone. He slammed the Artefact shut, then put it in his pocket. He observed the fight that was going on, and saw that they made some progress in killing the beast, but it wasn't fast enough. The sound of the alarms was growing louder, indicating that the police was almost here. He would have to help them.

Joining Junior, Torchwick tried to come up with a plan to take it down. Crimson was holding her own, and shot multiple bursts of flame at the monster. It seemed even more resistant to attacks now that its mask was gone, but this was probably due to its sheer anger. It swiftly brought its paws down, and Crimson rolled to the side. Summoning as much strength as possible, she brought her hands up, firing a stream of flame into its face. It staggered backwards, putting itself out as Crimson rejoined the other 2. Torchwick came up with a plan, taking into account their current weapons and Crimsons' abilities.

"Junior, didn't you once tell me that you were a baseball player in high school?"

"You picked a hell of a time to make me think about the past, considering how close we are to being killed."

"Killed? On the contrary, my good man."

Crimson was getting exhausted. She was strong, but even the most powerful being on the planet has their limits. And she was far from being the most powerful being, for now.

"Roman, I hope you're talking about the Fools' past for a good reason."

"Of course I am. Crimson, with a burst of your aura, you can accelerate the velocity of certain objects in motion, correct? I believe it was something to do with kinetic energy and the use of flames…"

"If you have a plan, just say it."

* * *

Torchwick was aiming his cane at Junior.

The monster recovered from the attack, trying to locate the trio. It saw them getting into positions of some kind. Screeching into the sky, it raced towards them.

"Junior, I should mention that if you miss, you'll either be blown to bits or I'll strangle you as we get crushed by this beast."

"If I miss, you're both dead, I'll be seeing you both in hell."

"Fool, stop contemplating our imminent deaths and get ready."

"Yeah, yeah…" Junior stepped up to the plate, which was just the street curb.

Torchwick fired his cane at Junior, the high caliber bullet slowly speeding through the air.

Junior swung his bat at the bullet as Crimson made a hand gesture, pouring her last ounces of strength into this ability. An orange circle of flame appeared in mid-air as Junior successfully hit the travelling bullet. The heavy, well-designed bat knocked toward the monster, increasing the velocity. Even so, this speed wouldn't be enough to harm the monster, let alone kill it.

Which was where Crimson came into play. The bullet sped through the circle, which instantly burned brighter and vanished. The bullet now travelled at mach speed, breaking the sound barrier.

The bullet collided with the monster, which was running at them. It cut clean through the beast, punching a hole in its body where its heart would be. The bullet continued into the further reaches of space, resembling a shooting star as it burned through the sky. The monster continued a few feet, feeling the hole with its paw. It looked down and, as if accepting its death, fell to the floor.

Junior dusted his hands, like a builder who just finished a hard days work.

"That wasn't so hard."

Crimson gasped for breath, even more exhausted.

"Only… because Torchwick actually… has a brain in his skull." She coughed, and was about to collapse when Junior supported her. She tried to shrug him off, not wanting his help, but sighed and allowed him to help her. She could barely stand.

"I didn't see YOU coming up with a plan. Look, we need to leave. The cops are almost here." Junior pointed out. Torchwick nodded, and indicated them to follow him.

They had run a few blocks before they found themselves in an abandoned parking lot. Torchwick stepped into the corner of the area. He put his right hand forward, like a blind man trying to find something. After a moment, his hand touched a surface. With a smile, he briefly glowed white, using his aura. Another silver light engulfed something in front of him, and a moment later, his helicopter appeared. Junior figured that he had used his aura to turn the helicopter invisible, and make it reappear. That was quite a nifty trick for someone in the criminal underworld to have.

"You can turn things invisible? Wish I had that." Junior marvelled at Torchwicks' ability. He then expected Crimson to make a mean remark, but she said nothing. He looked down on her face, and she seemed to have passed out. Carrying her bridal style, he and Torchwick stepped into the helicopter, taking off and avoiding the watchful eye of the police.

"Torchwick, where are we going now?" Junior put Crimson on a seat in the back, then sat in the co-pilots seat next to Torchwick.

"Your club."

"Huh?"

"Your club. Now that our area has been completely vaporised by a rampaging Grimm, we need somewhere to stay. Will there be an issue with this?"

"Yeah, mainly the issue of my privacy. You 2 can't stay at my place when I've got valuable information there."

"Junior, my boy, you can trust us. We're cohorts after all."

"Cohorts? Since when?

"Since we opened the Starlight. I need a man who can hold his own in the face of danger, and I believe you fit the bill perfectly. You will be most valuable in discovering more about the Starlight."

"Look, I'm kinda interested in the Starlight, but I'm not a tool you can use. If we're gonna find out more about this thing, we'll be equals, so no one of us 3 is the leader, got that?"

"Yes, yes, of course. And how considerate of you to consider Crimson one of our little group." Torchwick smiled to himself.

"Yeah, about her… There something going on between you 2?"

"Something going on between us? Why would you want to know? Would you happen to be 'interested' in her?"

"Wha- like hell!" Junior choked as Torchwick chuckled.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you, she IS quite attract-"

"Give it a rest! I only wanted to know to see if you trusted her." Torchwick laughed to himself.

"Yes, Junior, I do trust her. You need not worry in such a way. And by the way, we are NOT an item. Feel free to court her, if she doesn't incinerate you first, which I suspect she will."

"I'm not planning on it. Can we just get to the club?"

Although he hadn't actually agreed, Junior allowed them to stay at his club. He didn't know it at the time, but Torchwick and Crimson would end up being his 'cohorts' for quite some time. He also didn't know that he would end up trusting them with his life, which he considered one of the deadly sins of the criminal underworld.

Torchwick, Crimson and Junior would actually end up being friends.

* * *

Author's note-So, Those 3 are a group now, by the looks of it. It's weird how I started writing this chapter with one intention then end with something like this. Junior was only going to pass the Starlight along, but now he's one of the main characters. Ah, screw it, everybody's going to end up as a main character.

Also, I'm hoping that more of Crimson gets revealed in the final episodes, because I'm just guessing at her personality right now.


	19. Chapter 18- Crushes and doubts

Chapter 18- Crushes and doubts

Author's note- Blake really is a Faunus? Who DIDN'T see that coming? Because I'm pretty sure that every FanFiction writer did.

* * *

**Morning**

That was the worst weekend of Cardin's life.

Being decimated by the Professor's weird Dust device, that jackass with the gold sword throwing him across the assembly hall, and being threatened with expulsion if he had fun with that rabbit-eared freak.

There was one other thing that served to annoy him. His team of cowards.

"God damn it, just kill it, Lark!"

Thrush, the idiot with the stupid Mohawk, was barking a command at his team mate. All of CRDL were currently in their dormitory, which was a pig sty compared to the other dormitories. The 4 beds were each in separate corners of the room, with Cardin lying in his bed while the other 3 were standing around Thrush's, all squealing like a bunch of kids. Cardin didn't particularly care for his team, even more so now that he was trying to sleep late instead of getting up for his lessons. Against his better judgment, he got out of bed to see what they were screaming about.

"Why do I gotta kill it? It's on your bed!"

A spider. A spider the size of Cardin's thumb sat on the bed. THIS was what they were scared of? He was having serious regrets with picking the bishop piece last week. Leaving them to their own devices, he went to the bathroom to get ready.

When he re-entered the bedroom, they were gone, and the spider was crawling around on the bed. Apparently, 3 'capable' students who attend the best Academy in Vytal were no match for a spider. And they were his team members for the next 4 years.

… He couldn't handle 4 years of this crap. He wondered if Ozpin would allow him to swap team mates, but he doubted that Ozpin would listen to anything he had to say, considering how he treated Cardin lately. He would be stuck with these morons for the rest of his time at the Academy.

Cardin was already out of the door and on his way to the cafeteria as he pondered to himself. He was trying to think of ways to make more people respect him during his time here when he saw RWBY, JNPR and Katil heading down a flight of stairs. He hated them. Well, he only really saw about half of the group since initiation day, but he was sure that the rest were jerks as well. He was now walking behind, listening in on them laugh and having the time of their lives.

He hated Katil the most. He hated the way he flirted with the girls, his arrogance, his cat ears, his weapon… especially the weapon.

That Pyrrha was a know-it-all, along with the chick with white hair. They always answered first in class, they were popular, they hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention to how handsome he was… they were brats.

Cardin was getting angrier just thinking about them. That guy with the pink streak of hair annoyed him because Cardin believed that no guy should have anything to do with the colour pink. Seriously, what the hell kind of guy dyes a part of their hair pink?

Who else was there? He had never seen that blonde girl before, he thought. Maybe she was in a training battle a few days ago, but he never really paid any attention to her. Cardin examined her closely, trying to find something about her that would no doubt annoy him endlessly.

She turned around, whipping her hair around, and to Cardin, time seemed to slow down.

Her long, golden hair flowed as she turned, reminding Cardin of the sun that shined above them. Her lilac eyes were full of joy, reflecting her cheery personality. Her figure was incredible, a result of her physical training and fighting style, and she was clearly more 'developed' than the other girls.

Yang was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He had stopped momentarily, staring at her.

What should he do? Talk to her? No way he was talking to her when the rest of that group were around. Cardin had never had a crush on somebody before, and he was clueless about what to do.

"Do you see something you like? 'Cus I don't."

She was now staring back at him, as were her friends. Crap. Now he REALLY didn't know what to do, and to top it off, she was downright hostile to him. Cardin could feel himself getting hot under the collar.

"I, uh, you-"

"Hey, you're the guy who picked on Jaune and Katil!" The girl with the red cloak exclaimed, and Katil suddenly perked up.

"Hey, Cardin, buddy! How are those bruises from yesterday? I'm still picking pieces of your ass off of my boots, y'know."

This was a losing battle, something he came to know well over the weekend. With his cheeks red and his mind blank, he quickly ran away, too embarrassed to say anything more.

"Why did Ozpin even allow that brute to enter this Academy?" Weiss announced her displeasure for Cardin, and was greeted by shrugs by some of the group. Ren turned their attention back to their previous conversation as they entered the cafeteria.

"Double battles are commencing tomorrow. Does everybody have a battle strategy with their partners?"

Ruby and Weiss, Blake and Yang, and Jaune and Pyrrha glanced at each other as Nora got excited.

"Oh man, me and Ren are totally gonna KICK ASS!" Nora shouted loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear, and some turned to see her pumping her fists into the air.

"Double battles? How am I fitting into this?" Katil could figure out that double battles meant 2 pairs of partners fighting each other, but wasn't sure if he would be allowed to take part in these, seeing as he didn't actually have a partner.

Everybody ignored him, as the 4 pairs each started discussing their strategies. The rest of the morning went by as normal, and they all got ready for their first lesson of the day.

* * *

The horror.

He had done some bad things in his short 17 years of life, but surely nothing he did deserved what he was experiencing. If he had known that school life involved something like this, he would have stayed with the Liberators.

Katil was sitting in Professor Port's class, next to team JNPR, finding out just how boring Grimm studies can be. This is the seventh circle of hell.

"And so, I sent the devils packing, and the lovely maiden of Terabithia granted me an audience! And when I say 'audience,' I mean something entirely different, for I cannot say what we did in detail to students as young as yourselves!"

He seemed to be talking about his past romances, for reasons unknown. Why did Ozpin hire a teacher who didn't teach?

Yang was feeling watched. The source of the feeling originated behind her. Port had entered his own fantasy world where he talked non-stop about his past, meaning she was safe to look back. As she did so, Cardin Winchester suddenly grabbed his book and buried his head in it, pretending to read. He wasn't fooling anybody, since the book was upside down. Rolling her eyes, Yang faced the front of the class.

Ruby was also pretending to read. Weiss was incredibly curious about this, as she found it impossible to believe that her partner actually took an interest in this topic. Leaning to the left, she saw what Ruby was actually doing; she had stuffed a comic book called Samurai League in the centre of the study book. Vexed, Weiss quickly snatched the comic when Port wasn't looking and threw it on the floor, earning a whimper of sadness from Ruby. Weiss shot her a 'I-refuse-to-have-my-marks-lowered-because-my-part ner-doesn't-pay-attention-in-class' look and focused on Port once again.

"Now, who can tell me what species of Grimm is more common in the village of Terabithia? Mr. Klinge, we have yet to hear from you!"

"Whu-?" Katil brought his head off the table at the mention of his name.

"The answer, if you please!"

"Ah, yeah, the answer, it's…" Katil didn't even know what the question was, and Port knew it. Just as Katil was about to be lectured, the doors of the classroom opened with a squeak.

Professor Goodwitch entered, and she didn't look amused. Then again, that was probably her normal look. In one hand, she held her scroll, and a note in the other. As she walked over to Port, she had a hint of urgency in her voice.

"Professor, we have received news from Peach." She handed him the note.

Port unfolded the note, and his eyes scanned it for a few seconds. He then took a step back, shocked, as though somebody had just called him fat and old.

"Madam Goodwitch, this must surely be in jest!" Port's voice was cracking under the disbelief of what he had just read.

"Professor Peach would know that something such as this cannot be joked about. We shall meet tonight to discuss this development."

Goodwitch turned to leave the room, and she randomly stumbled when she reached the steps, almost falling to the floor. She straightened herself out and left. The students had no idea what they were discussing, but assumed that it involved boring teacher stuff.

Port was still wheeling from whatever he had just read, and he supported himself on the table. He realised that the entire class was staring at him, waiting for the lesson to resume. Looking at the clock, he was grateful that the first period was almost over, as he needed time to think about what Peach had discovered.

"Class is dismissed! Ah, and team CRDL sahll be receiving detentions for failing to capture a Grimm! He didn't say anything more as he sank into his chair, hearing CRDL moan.

The students looked at each other, wondering if Port would be okay, but quickly left the room, gossiping amongst themselves.

As Ruby stood, she looked around for the comic that Weiss threw to the floor, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? Where did my comic go?"

* * *

Goodwitch stuffed the comic into her dress, hoping that nobody saw her take it. When she was satisfied that it was out of sight, she opened her scroll to check the time. There was a 20 minute recess before she had to teach, giving her enough time to go to her finished office and make some changes to the layout. No doubt those repair-men left the room in a mess when they were finished.

A beeping on her scroll indicated that somebody was calling her. Pressing a button, Ozpin appeared on the screen.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Did you pass the message to Peter?"

"Indeed. He was quite surprised as well."

"As expected. Bartholomew needed several cups of coffee before he could calm himself."

"Although I sincerely hope that Peach is wrong, we must consider our options with this new information."

"Indeed. If he is correct about Sunrise, everything we know about the other Artefacts must be re-evaluated."

Goodwitch sighed to herself. The amount of work for the Professors just doubled in light of Peach's findings. It would have to be examined in detail later. Ozpin was about to end the call, but he had one last thing to say.

"I see you've been doing some light reading, Glynda. May I borrow that comic sometime?" Ozpin had a smile on his face.

Glynda looked down, and saw that the comic she took was jutting out of her dress. Cursing in her mind, she tried to hide the comic as she ended the call.

"Goodbye, Sir." She was slightly annoyed by Ozpin, but knew that he was only joking about borrowing it. Goodwitch hurried to her office to add it to her collection.

* * *

"You know, you still didn't pay me for getting the Starlight."

"Payment? Being able to join me and Crimson in gaining the rest of the Artefacts should be all the payment you need."

"You dragged me into this without even letting me choose whether I actually wanted to be involved or not."

"You're welcome."

Junior and Torchwick were in Junior's club, sat on opposite sides of the bar counter. Despite the fact that it was still early morning, lights and dance music blared in the background. Some henchmen were dotted around the area, as this was generally the place to go when they weren't on duty. A pair of girls sat on the other end of the counter, looking bored.

Crimson made descended the steps at the side of the club, which connected various rooms to the club itself. She held her right palm to her head, like she had a migraine, much to Junior's amusement.

"So, Sleeping Beauty finally wakes up." Crimson seemed to be offended.

"What are you implying by 'finally?' It's barely reached 9 A.M. you fool, and don't forget that I exhausted my aura, which ultimately saved us last night."

Junior, seeing that she would win this discussion, turned to the bar and pulled out various drinks, mixing them together expertly. Torchwick started a conversation on the Starlight.

"Last night was quite a learning experience, wouldn't you agree?" Torchwick was referring to how the Starlight somehow summoned a group of Grimm, but Junior was thinking of something else.

"I'll say. Who'd guess that Crimson would need help from others?"

"Who would guess that the Fool was stupid enough to irritate a flame summoner while holding flammable alcohol?" Crimson retorted, ready to ignite the bar full of alcohol if need be. Junior now looked much more nervous, realising that he was an insult away from being incinerated. He quickly finished pouring the drinks and slid them down the bar to Torchwick, then Crimson, who knew what Torchwick was referring to.

"Roman was referring to the Starlight's ability." She commented as Junior rejoined them with a drink of his own. Torchwick thought it an ideal time to ask about the Starlight.

"Indeed. Why, summoning Grimm out of thin air was NOT something I expected happen, to say the least. I must confess, I'm simply stumped as to how it happened, although you, Crimson, seemed to know a thing or two about it. Care to share?"

Crimson pushed the drink aside, disgusted with the idea of drinking alcohol at such an early hour. She didn't feel up to it even if her head wasn't pounding.

"All I know of it is that it opens in response to a powerful enough burst of aura. I know nothing of why it manifested Grimm.

"I see. And how, may I ask, did you know how to open it?"

Crimson pointed at something in the bar instead of responding. Junior followed her finger to a can in the mini-fridge below the bar. Not waiting for her to ask, he pulled an orange soft drink out and passed it to her. She opened it and took a sip, then answered the question.

"A diary extract."

Torchwick and Junior glanced at each other, and waited for her to explain. She finished the drink before continuing.

"100 years ago, my ancestor was one of the few people who had witnessed the Artefacts for herself. She recorded her observations on them in a diary, which is currently in my possession."

Torchwick almost became furious, but did his best to control himself.

"WHAT!? How long have you had this diary!? Why didn't you tell me!?"

Crimson stretched her hand forward toward Junior, beckoning another drink, much to Torchwick's aggravation. Junior obliged, and she sipped the new drink before continuing.

"It was irrelevant."

"IRRELEVANT!?" How could a diary containing that type of knowledge be irrelevant!?"

"Because it is a withered old book that has withstood the test of time, carrying many damages in the process. Almost nothing can be gathered from its torn pages, and many are missing all together. Not to mention that it is written in a code that has taken many weeks to decipher."

Torchwick sighed and re-adjusted his hat, which almost fell in his anger.

"Can we at the very least see this diary?"

"Not now. I'm still in the process of deciphering the final pages."

Torchwick felt betrayed by his partner. She withheld this diary from him, and now won't even let him see it. Betrayal and a lack of trust was common for criminals, but Torchwick felt that they had an excellent working relationship, and this must have warranted some trust between them, surely.

Maybe she was lying. Maybe she knew more about these Artefacts than she let on. She could be lying about this diary. After all, he had never seen it, and she won't let him see it. She could be planning on stealing the Artefacts when they had all been gathered, while killing him in the process. The feeling of betrayal was growing more rampant inside him.

"I sincerely hope that you aren't lying to me, Crimson."

"What will you do if I am? Kill me?" She seemed to chuckle with her last words, which was something he had never seen before. Torchwick had no response, as he knew that she was far too powerful to fight. He would need solid proof that she would betray him before seriously thinking about trying to kill her. For now, it was perhaps best to try and gather the Artefacts, and worry about betrayal when they were almost done.

Junior didn't like the direction this was going in.

"The next time any of us has new information, we tell each other, agreed?"

"Fine." Crimson responded with a coldness that belied her powers.

A frosty reception took over the trio, and Junior felt that they had to talk about something else. Torchwick drank whatever Junior had concocted for him, and recognised it as a Strawberry Sunrise, which reminded him…

"Does your mystical diary tell us about the Sunrise?"

Crimson didn't care if he believed that the diary wasn't real.

"No. The same applies to the Shattered Mirror. Their pages have been completely destroyed. Information on the Luminescent was most prevalent, but as I deciphered the pages, it seems that it is somewhat weak."

"Oh? And what, pray tell, does the Luminescent do?"

Torchwick's tone was starting to grind on her nerves.

"It is capable of nullifying the powers of Dust and absorbing them, but unleashes the combined powers of the absorbed Dust when physically damaged."

"Hmm… odd, considering that the Luminescent was discovered before the creation of Dust."

"Correct, this is odd. However, I believe that the pages I am deciphering at present may reveal how this is possible."

"Interesting. I don't suppose you would allow me and Junior to watch as you finish them?"

"If it will stop you from questioning the existence of the diary, then fine. Just remain silent."

Conversation between the trio ceased as they had breakfast, which consisted of soggy toast.

Junior whistled to the 2 girls sat on the other end of the counter. They lazily turned their heads to him as he approached, making sure that he was out of earshot.

"Melanie, Militia, I've got a job for you 2."

"Oh, goodie…" Junior always got the twins mixed up, so he referred to the one who spoke as 'Red.'

"It's nothing too difficult. Just keep an eye on that woman over there. If she does anything suspicious when neither me and Torchwick are around, I want you to report to me, got it?"

"Sure…" Red replied. Junior didn't need to say anything else, as he knew that he could count on these 2 to get any job done, despite their slight attitude problems.

Re-joining Torchwick and Crimson, they made plans for Crimson to decipher the pages tonight, leaving each other to their own businesses during the day.

* * *

Author's note- Yep, the twins just became relevant characters… kind of. I'm sure I'll think of a real role for them by the end of the week, no doubt.


	20. Chapter 19- Darkness and taunts

Chapter 19- Darkness and taunts

Author's note- I'm starting to notice a serious lack of imagination in my chapter names.

* * *

**Mid-day**

Goodwitch's lessons were far more interesting than any other lesson at Beacon, so far.

"As you can see, aura can be interchangeable with a variety of weapons, depending on the semblance of the user. Somebody with an offence based semblance can make more use of an aura based gun, such as with Mr. Ren and his automatic pistols."

It was one of the few lessons that Ruby stayed focused/awake for, as learning about Dust and aura was far more useful to her than learning about history. The class was currently in the training hall, where several dummies of Grimm had been set up. Some had already been destroyed from Ren's demonstration of his aura. Goodwitch stood in front of them, pacing back and forth.

"Now that we have covered offensive semblances, we will now go over natural semblances in more detail, starting with some demonstrations. Natural semblances involve the altering or manipulation of the environment and surroundings, as opposed to changing the characteristics of a person themselves."

Although Goodwitch was known as one of the terrors of Beacon, no one could deny that she was a good teacher. She always put practical lessons before book based lessons, and she knew that first hand experience was one of the best ways to learn something. If it was up to her, there would be no books for teaching.

"Mr. Klinge. Please step forward."

Katil had been chosen for the demonstration. How, exactly, did Goodwitch know what kind of semblance he had? He was pretty sure that he hadn't shown it to anybody at all. Ah, well. This is the perfect opportunity to show off how badass his semblance was to the ladies. He stepped forward from the group.

Closing his eyes and kneeling down, a black outline appeared around him, contrasting with his brown features. The entire room started to blacken, drowning its lighting and inhabitants in pure, imperceptible darkness. It was impossible to see, except for the Fauna in the group. Some of the humans started stumbling around and into each other, blinded, while others, like Pyrrha, just stood still, waiting for the darkness to disperse.

Katil had perfect night-vision. It was common for Fauna to have excellent sight in the dark, but it was rare for a Faunus to completely nullify the effect that darkness had on its eyes. Katil was one of those people, and to him, it was as though the darkness he conjured didn't even exist. When he first used his aura, many years ago, he didn't even know what had happened, and was confused as to why people around him were suddenly blind. He looked back at the class, some of whom were on the floor, losing all sense of direction. One person stuck out like a sore thumb.

Blake was looking right at him. Then, her gaze shifted to where the lights were, mesmerised by how they had no effect on the darkness. It was as though she knew exactly where they were, which should have been impossible for a human. Even if she had 20-20 vision, there was no way that she could see properly.

…And yet, she was looking at certain objects with ease. Katil would have to inquire about this later, because it was becoming pretty freakin' obvious that she was a Faunus. Bows don't twitch; ears do.

The darkness lasted for a full minute before dispersing; Katil had no control over how long it lasted, and it could stay for up to 5 minutes, and 30 seconds at the least. Students stopped stumbling around and got back in line, as Goodwitch put her glasses back on, which she was cleaning in the interim.

"Thank you, Mr. Klinge. As you can see, this type of semblance does not affect a person directly, as opposed to other semblance types which can support the user or harm others."

The rest of the lesson went by as normal.

* * *

"Y'know Princess, you don't have to eat apples for every meal to keep a trim figure."

At lunchtime, RWBY sat in the cafeteria, as JNPR, along with Katil, had gone somewhere more private so that the partners could elaborate on their plans for the double battles tomorrow. The 2 pairs in RWBY had other things they wanted to talk about, however.

Weiss carefully chewed and swallowed the piece of apple before responding to Yang.

"I'm afraid that I don't have as excellent of a metabolism as…others."

Weiss suddenly shot daggers at Ruby, who had crammed seven cookies into her mouth. Ruby looked up at her, and noticed the glare. Was Weiss actually jealous of her? Ruby didn't know that Weiss could have an emotion like jealousy. Yang continued.

"Still, you CAN have a decent meal every once in a while, you know. Don't ya get hungry?" Yang showed some sisterly concerns that she normally reserved for Ruby. How cute that she was worried about Weiss' dietary needs, Ruby thought.

"This is enough sustenance for me." Weiss replied simply. Yang couldn't be bothered to talk to the Princess for now, and turned to Ruby.

"And YOU! When are you gonna stop eating cookies all day? You'll grow out, not up!" Ruby shrugged in response, feeling that they already had this conversation recently.

Their lunch continued for another few minutes. Blake was reading the paper, and was focusing on an article about a giant Grimm appearing out of thin air in a district in Vale. Reports placed Roman Torchwick and a couple of cohorts at the scene, but they didn't seem to be connected to the Grimm. Apparently, the police force arrived and killed the creature. That was probably a lie to make the police seem more competent than they really are.

The paper was suddenly torn out of her hands, and Yang bounded over the table to face her.

"Okay, tomorrow, we need an epic plan to beat any pair we face. There's no way I'm gonna lose to my little sister and the Princess!"

Blake's eyes were narrowed as always, reminding Yang of a cat.

"There's no guarantee that we will fight them tomorrow."

"But if we do, we're takin' them down! You hear that Sis?" Yang shot a glance at Ruby, who returned it as she spoke to Weiss.

"Weiss, as the best team mate ever, you're helping me KICK THEIR ASS!" Ruby jumped out of her chair to try and meet Yang's eyes, rising to her taunts.

Weiss didn't understand their connection. How could 2 sisters be so hostile to one another without compromising their relationship? How could they talk like this to each other now, but still love and care for one another? Whatever tension arose from Yang disagreeing with Ruby yesterday regarding Claws had already disappeared, and they talked like nothing happened.

It was just another thing about sisters that she would never understand.

"Yes, yes, granted that we fight them, I'll ensure that we beat them." Weiss couldn't really disagree with the idea of beating any pair in a fight, let alone that pair being Yang and Blake.

"Well, they're sure full of themselves, huh Blake?" Yang contradicted herself, seeing as she was the one who started bragging in the first place, but Blake didn't bring this up. Yang was still glaring at her sister when Blake spoke up.

"If you want to discuss tactics, then let's go somewhere else."

Yang nodded, and the duo left, with Ruby still out of her chair.

"YOU BETTER RUN!"

"Ruby, sit down. You're making a fool of yourself with your theatrics."

"She started it!"

"And you shouldn't rise to it."

Everybody in the cafeteria was staring at Ruby, and she blushed slightly from the attention as she sat down.

"Heh, sorry everyone…" Ruby sunk her head low.

"Ruby, a competent leader does not fall for the taunts of arrogant opposition." Weiss spoke the line with a degree of fluency that could only have been picked up by hearing the line many times over the years from her father.

A pair of boys on a relatively close table were stifling some laughs at Ruby's display.

"What an obnoxiously loud fool. I simply feel sorry for Schnee."

"I agree. What a shame that her abilities must be wasted on a horrendous leader like her."

Ruby held her head lower, actually feeling like crying, and Weiss turned to face the boys, annoyed.

"Geoffrey, Bastion, please keep your thoughts to yourself. Do NOT degrade her like that."

The 2 boys seemed amused by how Weiss defended her terrible leader.

"Yes, of course, Schnee. Please accept our apologies." The boy called Geoffrey stood and bowed, although his tone made the apology seem sarcastic, as though he was still mocking her.

Geoffrey was quite tall, standing at roughly the same height as Jaune. It was apparent from first sight that he came from a wealthy background, as he wore a gold trimmed blazer with a silver tie. His most notable feature was a large pair of ears, which reminded Ruby of an elephant for some reason.

"Indeed, we withdraw our comments." Bastion stood and also bowed, and his tone was just as mocking as Geoffrey's. They weren't sorry for the comments at all.

Bastion was shorter than his friend, but just as rich-looking. He looked like an opposite of Geoffrey, as he wore a silver trimmed blazer and gold tie. His face reminded Ruby of a mouse, which she found odd. He just had one of those faces that made her think of one.

Weiss had picked up on their mocking tones, but didn't want to push her luck on making them actually apologise.

"Geoffrey, Bastion, this is Ruby Rose, my leader and partner for the next 4 years. Ruby, this is Geoffrey and Bastion, my friends."

So, these were the people who Weiss had spent some time with. Yep, she could definitely see them hanging out.

Ruby put her hand out, willing to forgive their remarks and try to be friends. Both Yang and Jaune said that strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet, so she was more than willing to try it with these guys. They didn't exactly make a good first impression, but then again, neither did she. It was almost the exact same scenario with when she first met Weiss, and they ended up being… kind of friends.

"Yep! I'm Ruby Rose, heh heh, sorry for shouting randomly and ruining your lunch time…"

Geoffrey and Bastion looked at each other, smirking, like they couldn't believe that they had to socialise with this girl. They didn't shake her hand, and Ruby awkwardly drew it back.

"Yes, I've heard about you, Rose." Geoffrey said first, allowing for Bastion to follow the sentence up.

"Indeed, being sent to Beacon 2 years early is quite a feat."

"Astonishing, truly."

The way Geoffrey said 'astonishing' was an insult disguised as a compliment, and both Ruby and Weiss knew it. He said it as though he couldn't believe that somebody as incapable as Ruby had ended up in Beacon. Bastion snorted with laughter, not caring that Ruby was right next to him.

"Schnee, do you have time in the evening tomorrow to accompany us to the library? I'm afraid Geoffrey here is incapable of learning the Dust creation processes."

"Pah! And you, my friend, are incapable of recognising the difference between silver, white and cloud Dust effects." Geoffrey scoffed, and Weiss spoke.

"If I have no plans, I shall join you, as long as you no longer make fun of Ruby, understood?"

They both rolled their eyes, and Bastion came up with an idea. His eyes seemingly brightened.

"Rose, why don't you join us tomorrow? It would be a pleasure to hear the tale of how you managed to join this Academy." His doubt of Ruby's skill was obvious once more.

Ruby was surprised by the invitation, and she looked to Weiss for help, wondering if this was really the crowd she should hang out with. Weiss just shrugged, letting her make up her own mind.

Ruby clearly made a bad impression on this pair, and she wanted to prove to them that she was capable enough to be a part of Beacon. Weiss made it clear that Ruby shouldn't show off to prove herself to others, but in these circumstances, Ruby wanted to do everything she could to show them that she was just as deserving of her place as them.

"Sure! I'll join you!" Ruby didn't want to explain her reasoning, as she knew that Weiss would chastise her like she did on initiation day.

The pair of boys looked at each other with a smirk.

"Very well! Schnee, Rose, we shall see you tomorrow." Geoffrey turned and left, shortly followed by Bastion. They seemed to gossip and chuckle before they were out of sight, and Ruby knew that they were laughing at her. Well, she would just have to show them how cool she was tomorrow!

"Oh, yeah! Weiss, we need to talk about how we're gonna beat Yang and Blake!"

"Ruby, there is still a minimal chance that we will fight tomorrow, let alone fight them."

"But there's still a chance, so let's strategise!"

Reluctantly, Weiss followed Ruby to discuss strategies. Weiss had several questions about Ruby's motivations for joining her and her upper-class friends tomorrow, but there was no point in asking them. She had already told Ruby her thoughts about her being the leader, and how childish she could act. It was up to Ruby to remember those words and apply them.

Author's note- A short chapter, here, I'm mainly setting up a few things for future chapters.(Hmm... I wonder which pairs I'll make fight each other soon.) A crap ton of things will be happening in the next chapter, trust me.

By the way, in case it accidentally came across this way, I'm not implying that all members of the upper-class society are assholes. It's just a coincidence that Geoffrey and Bastion (They're not important enough to the story to warrant badass/ foreign names.) are both pretentious and rich, since they need these 2 qualities for their little story arc.


	21. Chapter 20-Of Diaries and Descendants

Chapter 20-Of Diaries and Descendants

Author's note- My last chapter did, indeed, suck ass. I hope this chapter will make up for it. There's gonna be violence, criminals, Professors, and my own interpretation on Weiss' family history, because apparently, every other writer is doing their own.

Now, in regards to the latest episode; it turns out that Crimson is actually called Cinder. Why did people think that her name was Crimson, again? Also, it seems that her personality is quite different to how I've been portraying her so far, despite us seeing very little of her.

I'm going to continue calling her Crimson in this fic, because I don't believe that it matters all that much what her name is. After all, we hardly know Cinder, and it'll be a while before RWBY starts again, so why bother with the name change? I'm too used to Crimson.

In regards to her personality, I'll just start writing and see what happens with her. I write my opening author's note before actually writing the chapter, so at the time of typing this note, I have no idea how she'll end up. It's weird to think that in a few hours time, I'll be writing the ending notes where I declare how Crimson turned out. And yet, you, the reader, will read this entire thing in minutes. Man, time is weird.

* * *

**Night**

All was quiet in the RWBY dormitory.

Weiss lay on her bed, writing in a book of some kind. Ruby was on the floor, brushing Claws' fur, and he seemed to enjoy the attention after he was locked in the bathroom yesterday. Blake curled up in her bed with, naturally, a book, after lighting some candles. Yang rocked back and forth in her bed, bored, threatening to destabilise the precarious towers of books that held her bed up. As Weiss predicted, the sisters had completely forgotten their trash talking earlier at lunch time.

"I'M BOOOOORED!"

Yang's outburst made Claws jump out of Ruby's grasp with a yelp and scratch her hand, making her drop the brush.

"OW! Claws, don't be scared of my scary sister!" She petted his head, and he rubbed up against her leg. Weiss wasn't amused at all.

"Yang, must you express yourself so loudly? I believe we were enjoying the peace and quiet." As if on queue, Blake put out her candles, knowing that she wouldn't be able to read as everybody had started talking/shouting. Her bow twitched in annoyance, but nobody noticed. Yang leaned over the side of her bed backwards, looking at Weiss upside down.

"Why, Princess, I absolutely must do so, because I fail to comprehend how any of you can simply sit there doing nothing." She mimicked Weiss' voice to a spectacularly awful effect.

"I would appreciate it if you did not mock me." Weiss didn't even look up from while she continued to write.

"But Madam, mocking you is so entertaining."

"Why must you act so childishly?" Weiss was becoming increasingly infuriated.

Both Ruby and Yang sniggered as Blake simply listened in on the conversation. Yang now jumped down on her bed, casually walking around the room with her hands behind her back.

"Childish? You haven't seen childish yet, trust me."

"Oh really? I trust that you will set an example for your younger sister and not act like an 8 year old."

"Did you really think that would happen?"

Weiss was still writing in her book when, to her shock, it was suddenly swiped from her. Yang was now holding and reading it, and Weiss' eyes widened.

"N-NO! Give that back, you brute!" Weiss jumped out of her bed and tried to swipe it back, but Yang turned sharply on her heels and lifted it above her, keeping it out of reach.

"So, the Ice Queen keeps a diary, huh? Let's see what secrets she keeps from us." Weiss tried to jump and grab it, but Yang was too tall, and simply walked away, much to Weiss' desperation.

"It's not a diary! It's a journal! And give it back, it doesn't belong to you!"

"Nah, it's definitely a diary. Ooh, listen to what she wrote in it!" Weiss now became more desperate to obtain her journal.

"Don't you DARE!" Yang ignored her.

"Today, Geoffrey and Bastion mocked Ruby when she got angry at Yang at lunch. I do feel sorry for Ruby sometimes, as others tend to look down on her due to her age and inexperience. I defended her as I believe that she could make an excellent leader, in time, and, although I would be loathe to admit it, even better than me." Yang lowered the book to look at Weiss, who was now twitching.

"Give. It. Back."

"Aww, it's so adorable that you defended my little sis! You've actually got a heart!" Yang ignored the command and continued reading.

"Currently, I'm enjoying my time with my team and JNPR, along with Katil who seems to be quite nice for a Faunus. I would never say this to them, but I much prefer to be with them instead of the crowd my father has bid me be with. I'm actually rather happy being a part of team KWNPRBRYJ, because I feel that I couldn't bare to be with Geoffrey and his cronies for an extended period of time. Not to mention that I actually have fun with KWNPRBRYJ.

Ruby suddenly swept Weiss up in a hug.

"Wow, you actually like us!? You big softie!"

"Hey, you actually wrote KWNPRBRYJ! Why don't you ever say this stuff to us?" Yang was starting to like Weiss a bit more.

Despite the bear hug that she was swept up in, Weiss' facial expression started to darken.

"Yang… don't read any further. Please." Ruby's grip loosened as she heard Weiss' plea.

"Uh, Sis? I think she's being serious…"

Yang ignored both of them and continued, excited to find out more about Weiss' real feelings.

"I have no reason to follow my father's orders, which is to become closer to Geoffrey and other members of the upper-class society, but if I am to inherit the Schnee Dust company, then I will need the support and friendship of these people, as they will become my corporate allies or enemies in the future. I marvel at how almost the entire world considers my father one of the most brilliant men alive, purely because of how he owns the company. They don't know what he used to do to me and my mom."

"Stop, please…"

"They don't know how he used to hit me and mom in his normal bouts of rage, eventually leading to her death by his hand…"

Yang stopped completely. The entire room was now dead silent, and even the crickets stopped, not daring to break the silence. Ruby was still hugging Weiss, and her grip loosened, eventually letting her arms fall by her sides. Claws stopped scratching his head like a dog and sat perfectly still.

Ruby mouthed something at Yang, urging her to say something. Yang couldn't quite find the right words, which was normal when you just discovered how someone's mother died, and how sad and evil the death was.

"Your father…?" Yang had no idea that a father could be so terrible, and now, she truly felt sorry for the person she had teased so much since they first joined the Academy.

Weiss didn't say anything, and took her diary back from Yang, who stared at her with awe.

Ruby wanted to try and comfort Weiss, the person who helped her several times despite the differences between them. She put her hand on Weiss' shoulder, but she shrugged it off immediately.

"Don't feel sorry for me. Feel sorry for my mother, who fell in love with that disgrace of a man."

Weiss put her diary in her bedside cabinet, and climbed into bed. She didn't want to talk about this with them. Weiss didn't cry or show any kind of emotion. She had gotten over her mother's death a long time ago.

"Don't stay up too late. We have lessons early tomorrow." She got under the covers and turned away from them, leaving the team to pity her in silence.

* * *

"It is time for us to discuss the information received to us from Professor Peach."

The 4 Professors sat in Goodwitch's newly constructed office, which still featured dull grey walls and boring furniture. The Shattered Mirror rested on her desk, and the Luminescent was inside a glass sphere on a desk on the other side of the room. Oobleck was drinking coffee rapidly, and got up to speed off somewhere every minute to get a refill, as Port wiped the sweat off his palms. Goodwitch was the one who had spoken, and Ozpin was the one to reply.

"Indeed. Perhaps a refresher of the information is required before we continue."

The group already knew the information, but Ozpin felt the need to repeat it, in case any non-existent third parties happened to be listening. He took out his scroll from his pocket, and opened it, showing the message Peach had sent him.

"The Sunrise was a key created by an unknown being during the war to lead to the destruction of the world. I discovered this from a descendant of somebody involved in the war, but they didn't know a whole lot of stuff about it. Headmaster, you know this means that the other Artefacts could hold other purposes like this, right?" Ozpin read the message word for word.

The idea of an Artefact being created with the purpose of world destruction sounded completely ridiculous. Since when did world destruction become a factor in this adventure? They only knew about the Luminescent, and it looked like an innocent enough dangerous Artefact.

"Ludicrous." Goodwitch spat the single word quietly.

"Ludicrous? Why do you say that, Glynda?" Ozpin was rather laid-back with the question. Goodwitch got out of her chair, preparing too make her case as to why the idea of an Artefact being capable of world annihilation was ludicrous, impossible and just plain stupid, as some of her students would say.

"Peach's source is clearly unreliable, the Sunrise, along with the Starlight, has seemingly vanished into thin air, so it cannot be confirmed, a single item being capable of this level of destruction is impossible, we do not know what the Sunrise looks-"

"Perhaps we should focus on one point at a time, Glynda."

"There is no need, as Peach's theory is clearly impossible, and there is no decisive evidence to suggest that the Sunrise is capable of such a thing."

"There is no evidence to suggest that that the Sunrise CANNOT be possible of world destruction."

"Simply taking my argument and reversing it as such is not enough to support this theory!" Goodwitch was becoming vexed with Ozpin's calm manner and refusal to accept her argument. Oobleck's drinking speed began to increase, and Ozpin got out of his chair to pace back and forth.

"Glynda, Peach's contact is a descendant of one of the warriors in the war; it is logical this person's knowledge is far greater than any other's. What little this person knew is the most we've discovered of the other Artefacts in a long while."

"Ah, this mysterious contact of his. The 'contact' who knows what the Artefact is capable of, but nothing more. Why would they only know something as specific as this, but not where it is, what it looks like, or how it works? Their information is full of holes, and whatever they do know is completely unreliable."

Ozpin sighed and sipped his coffee.

"Your logic is completely sound, except for one thing."

"Oh?"

"You do not consider what the other Artefacts are capable of. What if the Starlight and the Mirror had similar, destructive powers, and the Luminescent is the odd Artefact out, being the weakest of the 4? If we were to discover that the remaining 2 Artefacts contained incredible power, would it not lend credence to the Sunrise being capable of world annihilation?"

Goodwitch was now grinding her teeth in frustration, finding Ozpin's logic to be completely ridiculous.

"Sir, are you truly using a lack of knowledge of the other Artefacts to try and support the theory of the Sunrise being world destroying? Be it far from my nature to doubt you, but your argument is flawed and, as I've said multiple times, ludicrous!"

"Yes, you mentioned that. Very well, Glynda. As you do not believe Peach, what do you believe the Sunrise can do?"

Goodwitch tutted and adjusted her glasses.

"I do not know. I also do not know what the Starlight and the Mirror can do."

"And is it not reasonable to accept Peach's theory until we have a clearer idea on it's potential? At the very least, we should accept it so that it can be disproven when more information reveals itself."

"… I will not accept this theory, but I will disprove it. I am not afraid to speak against you and this idea of the Sunrise's potential, Sir."

Ozpin nodded.

"I know you aren't. You're ability to speak your mind is one of the many reasons I appreciate you as my deputy, and my friend."

Goodwitch gave no indication that she was listening. She tapped her scroll, creating a message for Peach. As a huntress, it was her responsibility to find threats to humanity, and dispose of them. She didn't believe that the Sunrise was capable of global annihilation, as this would be a threat that she could do nothing about. They didn't know where the Sunrise was, or what it looked like. If the Artefact was truly so powerful, she could do nothing to stop it.

That was why she desperately wanted to know more about it, and disprove what Peach thought he knew about it.

"Peach, tell me who your contact was, and where I can find them."

* * *

A happy-go-lucky super destructive robot.

That was one way to describe Penny, the bow wearing, orange haired girl strolling down the darkened streets of Vale. Of course, it would be impossible to tell that she was a robot just by looking at her. Her hands were behind her back, and she took in the sights of the town, oohing and aahing at certain things, such as a large silver helicopter flying overhead.

"Why, everything is so pretty and wonderful!" She shouted out to nobody in particular. If anybody was around, they would no doubt be giving her weird looks right now.

Penny was disobeying orders. She was told to stay in her room/warehouse unit and sleep, but she didn't feel like.

Feelings… when did she get those? It doesn't matter. She had feelings, and she wanted to feel a lot of things! Ooh, happiness! People feel happiness, so that's what she should try to feel! Now, how does somebody feel happy…?

Friends, maybe? Friends always made each other feel happy, al least, they do according to the movies she could hear people watching several miles away. Yeah, Penny wanted a friend!

But how? Nobody was around. Maybe because it was dark. She could only guess since information on an everyday person's habits and routines were missing from her databanks. She walked around some more, and came across a shop plastered in police tape and broken glass. She gasped, because she saw…

"People! Hello, people!"

A pair of detectives strode around the shop, one of them with a notebook in his hand, and the other with a bottle of alcohol. Other police members paced around, inspecting the damage done to the shop. They ignored Penny, and one of the detectives spoke an observation.

"Well, well, what do ya know? Seems like our mystery burglar left behind a certain piece of HIGHLY incriminating evidence."

"Oh, is there an explanation?"

"Oh, an explanation is there, Pal."

"Then give me the explanation, Pal."

My, what a pair of eccentric detectives, Penny thought. They've probably foiled all sorts of criminals!

"Hello, Detectives!"

The detectives looked at her, both confused as to why a little girl suddenly talked to them. The detective with the notebook stepped up to her.

"Sorry, girlie, this ain't a place for a kid." The other detective followed up.

"Yeah, Pal, go home, it's dangerous at night around here."

"That's okay, I am combat ready!"

The detectives looked at each other, then back at Penny.

"Look, just leave and play your game of soldiers somewhere else. Us grown ups have work to do."

They didn't want to talk to her, much less be her friend. Now Penny was feeling sad…wait, sadness! That was a feeling! Penny smiled at the detectives.

"I feel sad! Thank you so much, Pals! I'm going to go find more people to be my pals and help me!"

Boy, the detectives suddenly felt like jerks. But then, their expressions showed a huge amount of surprise, as the girl jumped many feet into the air, sailing over a building and out of sight. A dust cloud where she jumped from remained. One of the detectives looked at his bottle of alcohol, considering stopping drinking.

Penny landed on the street, not knowing that jumping over buildings was considered weird by humans. She didn't know it, but she had a lot to learn about blending in as a human.

Well, they were certainly not nice. They didn't want to be her friend at all! She would just have to try again with others. Now she was in a more open street, illuminated by street lights and populated by nobody but her. This was lonely.

Nothing to do but continue wandering around, she thought, but something on her radar lit up. There was no visible radar, per se, but she could definitely sense a presence. It seemed to be behind her. Somebody to talk to! Wonderful!

Wheeling around on her heels with a smile, she saw the person, and he walked around a corner. She wanted to accompany him.

Dashing around the corner, she saw the person from the back. He heard her footsteps, and also turned around to see her. Penny observed his features.

Red hair that, from the front, looked like a wilted rose. A white and red mask over his eyes. A long, dark, coat, and a katana hanging from his belt. He looked cool, and probably not evil at all!

"Hello, Pal!" She used the noun pal as the detectives used it a moment ago.

The young man looked at her for a moment, decided to ignore her, and walked away without a word.

"Wait, Pal!" Penny swiftly bounded in front of him, and now he said something.

"Excuse me, please." He stepped around her politely. He tried to show her as little attention as possible, wanting her to leave him alone. As he quickened his pace, Penny seemed to want to bug him more.

"Please, allow me talk to you."

The man stopped, curious of this girl.

"Talk to me? Why?" Penny was now more excited by the fact that somebody hadn't told her to go away immediately.

"Because I want to be friends with you!"

There was an awkward silence, before he put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her to the side.

"I prefer not to have my time wasted." He continued on and around the corner, leaving Penny by herself. She was feeling sad again by the rejection, but now had a question for the young man. She chased after him, and found herself in a more open area. The place was filled with containers, and she assumed it was a port of some kind. He was standing in the centre, looking for something.

Where was it? Torchwick said the first case should be around here… he better not have been lying.

"Why is being friends with me a waste of time?"

With a growl, he looked at her over his shoulder, the red features of his mask glowing. The girl was standing right behind him.

"Leave. You don't belong here." He ignored her question, but now she had even more.

"Here? Why? Are you meeting your friends? Is that why you don't want to be friends with me, Pal? Because you already have friends?" He turned fully to face her, his hand inching toward the handle of his sword.

"Leave by yourself, or leave in pieces. I haven't got patience for a deranged girl." Penny gasped, but it wasn't because he threatened her.

"I'm deranged? Is that why nobody wants to talk to me?" She hung her head low, showing a mix of confusion and sadness.

Her thoughts were cut off, however, by the unsheathing of a sword.

"I've asked you politely to leave, but if you do not, I will resort to more drastic measures. I cannot afford to have somebody watch my actions." He twirled the katana in his hand.

"Ah, is that because you're Adam Taurus, the person associated with the wanted criminal Roman Torchwick?"

Adam nearly choked with shock. Who… what… how did she know who he was?

"You're going to explain how you know me, right now." He kept his voice as calm as possible, and put his katana back in the sheath, ready to launch it at her if she knew too much. Well, she already knew too much, so he was only asking to find out if there was an information leak. Junior better not have been spilling secrets… again. Penny's expression brightened, as he now paid more attention to her.

"I don't know!" She said that far too cheerfully, and this aggravated and confused Adam.

"You don't know how you know me and Torchwick?"

"That's right! I only know what my maker wants me to know!"

"…Your maker?"

What in the seven circles of hell was wrong with this girl? 'Maker?' This entire conversation with her had been a joke since the very first second. She knew his name and associates, yet she wanted to be friends with him.

…Maybe she was an assassin hired to kill him. A very inept assassin who flat out told him what she knew and tried very poorly to get close to him, but an assassin nonetheless. There was only one thing he could do right now.

With a slight movement, he pressed the trigger on the handle of his sheath. A piercing bang filled the area, and his sword flew out of the sheath, aimed for the girl's head. As soon as it was fired, he dashed forward at blistering speed, reaching out for the sword, ready to cut her in half.

Nanoseconds separated the time between Penny recognising the bang and her clasping her hands together, catching the sword mid-flight. Her artificial brain knew that Adam was now trying to destroy her. As she caught the sword, Adam also tried to clasp it, but she pulled it back and stuck her foot out, tripping him and sending him skidding over the floor.

"What…?" Adam was not anticipating this. He was face first on the floor, causing a scratch to his mask. He flipped onto his feet, facing Penny. It was only a minor setback, and it wasn't like anybody was around to see him get tripped by a little girl.

He twirled the sheath of his sword, aiming it at her, and pulled the trigger several times.

The bullets were absolutely not a threat in the slightest. Penny watched the bullets as they bounced off her body. She was still holding the sword in her hands, and knew that Adam wanted her in pieces, but she was far more concerned with the feelings she was experiencing.

*PING!*

She was feeling sad, because a person she hardly knew was trying to destroy her.

*PING!*

Why? She had done nothing wrong.

*PING!*

Maybe he was just trying to scare her away, because these bullets weren't even scratching her.

"What the hell are you!?"

Oh, he wasn't shooting her anymore! Maybe this was the ideal time to address his question.

"I'm Penny!"

"I asked 'what,' not who!"

Adam generally kept his cool at all times. Except when he was faced with girls who caught his sword and was impervious to bullets.

"I'm Penny!"

"I said WHAT!"

"I'M PENNY!"

Adam put his face in his palms. He wasn't mad at the girl; he was mad at himself for getting annoyed with the girl.

Perhaps a change of tactics was in order. He still wanted to kill her, but an all out assault clearly didn't work. He put the sheath back on his belt, straightened himself out, and approached her.

"Very well, Penny. My apologies for trying to kill you. It has been a stressful day, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. May I have my sword back?"

Penny smiled widely.

"Of course, Pal!"

"Right… Pal."

Why was she calling him pal? No matter. Penny offered him the sword, and he took it back, sheathing it. He casually circled around her, and tried to make normal, everyday conversation with her.

"So, Penny… that's a lovely bow you're wearing. A former friend of mine wears a bow, too."

Penny was pleased. He was talking to her! Maybe this was how friends are made.

"And that's a nice mask you're wearing! A person I know wears a mask!"

"Is that so? What would his name be?"

"Adam Taurus! You!"

…My God, this girl was a dunce. He would just play along until he had the opportune moment to attack.

"Right, me, of course… tell me, Penny. Do you have any friends?" He decided to move to a topic that would most likely make her think. It seemed to work, as she looked to the side and started playing with her fingers.

"No, I have no friends… that's why I want to talk to you."

Now she turned away, facing the containers. Finally. Adam rested his hand on the trigger, ready to split her in half.

"Will you… be my friend, Adam?"

"Yes, Penny… I'll be your friend."

Adam was about to pull the trigger, when she suddenly wizzed around and swept him into a bear hug, almost crushing his spine. He managed to choke out a few words.

"Ack! Penny! What are you…"

"YES! I have a friend! And it only took me 1 hour, 33 minutes, and 7 seconds!"

Despite the warm emotion in her voice, she was incredibly cold. Her body didn't feel natural, like it was metal instead of flesh. Surely, she wasn't a robot, right? That was silly…

"Okay Penny! I think you can let me- GAH!" Her grip tightened.

"We're going to have so much fun! We can go drink tea, we can go shopping, we can go punch bad people…"

"Penny, let me go!" Adam's face, or what was visible, was turning purple. Her strength was really lending credit to the robot theory.

Penny realised that she was almost killing her new friend. She dropped him onto the ground, where he gasped for air.

"Sorry, friend!"

"It's… quite alright." Adam was starting to believe that killing her was impossible. Picking himself up off the ground, he adjusted the position of his sword. He needed to confirm something before deciding his next course of action. He couldn't possible accomplish his mission here until she was out of the way.

"Penny, since we're… friends, I believe we should be more trusting of each other."

"I completely agree!"

"So, I would like you to tell me something. Are you human?"

"I'm Penny!"

…Mother of God. She was worse than a brick wall, because at least brick walls could be broken.

"That's not what I mean, Penny. Are you made of flesh?"

"No, I'm not, but that doesn't matter, because I've still made a friend!"

"I see…" So she actually wasn't human. All of the signs were now pointing to her being a robot… which was completely stupid. Robots couldn't walk around and talk like this, right?

"Penny, as a friend, I have a favour I wish to ask of you."

"Sure!"

"I want you to go to the nearest cake shop and get a jam roll." Surely this would occupy her long enough for him to get what he needed and get her off his trail.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" She zoomed away. He waited a few seconds to make sure that she was gone.

Breathing with relief, Adam turned around to resume his search, but…

"GAH!"

Penny was standing in front of him, jam roll in hand.

"Here you go!"

Adam was dumb-struck.

"How… it hasn't even been 10 seconds! And it's midnight, no cake shop should be open at this time!"

"I know! I broke into one and stole a jam roll! There are alarms going off in the shop right now! Oh, and the police saw me do it!"

"…What? The POLICE saw you break into a shop?"

Oh no.

"Yes! They're following me right now!"

Why did God see fit to abuse Adam in such a way? First, his only friend abandoned him, then he has the misfortune to meet this girl, now tonight's mission was about to be put in dire straights because of her stupidity.

Grinding his teeth, Adam came to a decision. This girl was putting him in serious jeopardy… but she also seemed incredibly strong. He had no doubts that he could kill… well, destroy her, but it would take too long. If she was captured by the police, she may also reveal his identity, and even search this area. Sirens sounded, indicating that the police were already close.

"Penny, I need to find a case that was left in this area, and I need to find it before the police get here. Help me."

"Don't you want your jam roll?"

"Not now, Penny!" Adam already dashed off to a corner, looking for the case he spoke of. Penny didn't realise that Adam was telling her to forget the dessert, so she opened the flap on her back and threw it into the storage area inside her spine, thinking that he would want it later.

"There she is!"

A voice rang from the alleyway; a policeman appeared, pointing at Penny. A moment later, other members of the police arrived, including the 2 detectives that ignored Penny earlier.

"Hey, that's the girl who jumped over a building earlier! I knew I wasn't drunk!"

Adam found it; a silver case, the contents of which rattled around inside. He looked back to see the police advancing on Penny, but they hadn't noticed him yet.

A huge part of him wanted to forget her and just save himself. The problem was, she would probably tell them everything she knew about her new 'friend.' Unless…

"Penny, as my friend, you can't tell them anything about me, understand?" He called out to her, getting the police's attention.

"Hey, ain't that the guy who's in cahoots with Torchwick?"

"It is! Get 'im!"

Adam was about to run like hell, not wanting a bloodbath right now, but Penny leaped over to him, grabbing his arm.

"Penny, what are you doing?"

"They wanna take you away, and I'm not letting them!"

"Penny, they won't take me away, I assure you."

"That's right, they won't, because I'm getting you out of here, friend!"

Still grabbing his arm, she jumped into the air, dragging him along.

"Penny, stop!"

They landed on a building, and the police brandished guns and opened fire, believing that they were dangerous criminals. Penny seemed displeased.

"Why are they shooting at me? All I did was steal a cake…"

"They're not shooting at you, they're shooting at me! I'm considered a dangerous felon!"

Penny gasped as several bullets pinged off her body.

"They want you DEAD!? That's it! I'm getting you out of here, friend!"

"Penny, there's no need-"

Penny tackled Adam, hoisting him onto her shoulder. He managed to keep a grip on the case.

"PENNY!"

He wanted her to stop right now, but it was too late; she had already jumped away, his cries being swept into the night. He could do nothing but hope that nobody saw this pathetic display.

* * *

…

"Torchwick, you might wanna take a look at this…"

Junior was perched over a large scroll. He had hacked into the police's camera system, and was watching an amusing scene involving Adam and a weird girl.

It was very rare for the club to be closed, but Junior believed it was necessary right now. He even ordered the twin girls to leave, so that only himself, Torchwick and Crimson occupied the entire building. Himself and Torchwick sat at the bar, which was dimly lit.

Torchwick leaned to the left to see what Junior was watching. It looked like Adam, the person he left a case of Dust for in the port earlier, was being swept off his feet by a girl. They had jumped onto a building, and spoke for a few seconds.

"Since when did Adam let himself get pushed around by a little girl?" Torchwick asked.

The girl suddenly picked up Adam, much to his obvious displeasure, and Junior reached for his cell phone, holding the camera to the scroll.

*SNAP!*

"Heh, perfect blackmail material…"

*SNAP*

Torchwick had also taken a picture with his cell phone, smiling with delight.

"Perfect screensaver material…"

Crimson approached, diary in hand. Junior shut off the scroll and put it away. He went to the other side of the bar, making it easier for the trio to see each other.

"My, the diary is actually real. Quite a surprise, I must admit."

"Quiet. I told you that I wanted silence as I did this." She opened the tattered diary, and as if to show just how old it was, a page fell out. It was covered in stains and illegible, and Crimson brushed it to the ground. She also had with her a note pad, which she opened up and flicked through, until she stopped on a particular page. It was filled with countless notes in scruffy handwriting. Torchwick had expected her to be neater with her handwriting.

The diary was opened to the last few pages, and Crimson was telling the truth about how difficult it was to make out anything inside of it. Torchwick saw letters, which fitted into words that didn't exist. The pages were stuck together, torn, or as many were, just missing. It was definitely plausible for it to be 100 years old. Which begs the question…

"Crimson, how did you obtain this?"

Her hand flared, indicating her annoyance.

"Silence."

Torchwick did as he was told, and Junior started mixing some drinks for them.

Crimson started to decipher the story of the Shining Artefacts.

* * *

**100 years ago- day 1**

A jungle has its advantages and disadvantages when one aims to survive the agents of Grimm. A person can easily find vantage points to overlook the area, but fleeing is also more difficult. The trees provide adequate cover to keep out of the Grimm's line of sight, but they also impair a persons' combat ability due to how closely packed the vegetation could be.

Currently, a group of 4 were having trouble facing the disadvantages of a jungle. They were sprinting as fast as they could, ducking under branches and jumping over fallen logs.

They were being pursued. Many Grimm chased after them relentlessly, pushing aside trees as though they were toys. The group of 4 were desperate, as the Grimm were almost upon them.

The man at the front, with broad shoulders and blonde hair, looked over his shoulder at the other 3. He shouted a command at a woman with dark hair.

"Ember, halt them!"

The woman nodded, then stopped running, raising her hand at the Grimm.

With a flash of red and a high pitched noise, many columns of flame rose out of the ground, and some appeared in the air with the help of a rune. Only a couple of Grimm were actually incinerated, as the beowolves were smart enough to stop and wait for the flame to disperse. Some simply ran around the fire, continuing the pursuit.

With a growl, the woman called Ember ran again, but not fast enough to avoid a lunge from a beowolf. She raised her hand to stop the attack, but somebody ran in front of her. A man with a mask covering his entire face dashed before her and raised a red katana, severing the foe's hand. As the beowolf lay on the ground, whimpering, he raised it and brought the red steel into its head. Satisfied, he took Ember's arm and pulled her with him, sprinting to join the rest of their group.

At the front, the man who issued the command a moment ago and a man in a dark chest plate were still running. The second man had some words he needed to say for his companion, despite how close they were to the end of their lives.

"My, what a fantastic plan from my dear old leader! Hey, let's go attack the Beowolves' nest at night! There is no possible chance that we could lose our lives in such a pathetic manner!" The man sarcastically mimicked the other man, who had a deep commanding voice.

"Shut up and run, Thane! We can discuss this later!"

"Later? I don't believe there will be a later in our future!" The man called Thane pouted.

The woman and the masked man caught up to them, much to Thane's amusement.

"So, Ember, Minotaur, how's life? About to be non-existent, am I right?"

Ember wasn't in the mood for Thane's comments. The team stopped for a moment, believing that they had lost the Grimm.

"Silence! We may have lost them for the moment, but they may still find us again."

The moon shone on them, giving a clear view of every person. The blonde man stepped forward.

He was fairly tall, easily beating the other 3 in height. He was handsome too, but in this time of conflict, nobody cared about looks. The lines and wrinkles in his face showed his experience, and a five 'o' clock shadow was appearing. He was covered in silver and bronze armour, and a chain mail could be visible in its gaps.

"Ember is correct. Time is not a luxury here."

Ember flared her hand. Long, dark hair cascaded from her shoulders, also obscuring her left eye. Both of her eyes glowed yellow and orange, and her expression was as dark as her hair. She wore a red combat dress that extended to her ankles, but it had been torn in places, exposing her midriff and her left leg. A blood red scarf hung loosely from her neck.

"We may be able to survive if we just run to the nearest outpost. We can fortify ourselves in there."

"Ah, now I must disagree…"

Thanatos, or Thane as they normally called him, paced back and forth, stroking his chin. His face resembled that of a snake, as he always seemed to be smiling mischievously. A yellow left eye and a green right eye burned through the darkness, although most of his face was still obscured. His green and yellow bangs matched his eyes, and fell down unevenly at the sides of his face and in between his eyes. A hand-stitched black jacket covered his body, and an untucked white shirt could be visible around his waist. His blue trousers seemed very out of place with the rest of his appearance, but nobody cared about clothing in this day and age.

"…For you see, the bastards have already encircled us! My, am I the only one with an aura around here? And a brain?"

The blonde man and Ember now sensed what he sensed; their auras began to spike in response to the Grimm, who were taking cover in the bushes, ready to strike.

"Well well, looks like we're gonna end up as food after all. Thanks a lot, Arc! Minotaur, your thoughts?"

Thane folded his arms and placed them on the shoulders of the masked man called Minotaur, waiting for a response. Thane waited a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, that's right! Since when do you ever have an opinion of your own?"

Minotaur was tall, but not quite at Arc's height. A white and red mask covered his face, but his untidy red and black hair was still visible. A white and red piece of armour covered his entire upper body, and a pair of black trousers with red knee guards covered his legs. His mysterious presence generally frightened people, but the other 3 were used to him by now.

The lower part of his mask withdrew into the upper section, exposing his mouth.

"MY opinion is that we follow Embers plan. We cut a bloody swathe through these Grimm and find the outpost."

"It's settled. We fight our way to the outpost."

The blonde man, Arc, drew a silver sword, then pressed a button on the sheath, extending it into a shield. A crescent moon was visible on its surface.

The rest nodded, then drew their weapons. Ember extended her left hand, using her aura to construct a weapon. A flaming lance formed in her hand, which was pointed at both ends. She held it with both hands, tucking the middle of it under her arm, ready to fight. Minotaur was already gripping his katana, which remained in his sheath.

Thane shrugged, and pulled 2 weapons out of his jacket. In his right hand, he held a silver short sword, that was discoloured around the edges. In his left hand, he held a customised Karambit knife. Initially, only the handle was visible, but with a flick, the blade shot out of the handle. It was perhaps once black, but was now smeared with dried blood. It was hard to tell what the original colour was.

"We break to the east, and slash anything in our way, understand? Don't forget about your auras." Arc took his position in front of the group, as he was a natural leader in these kinds of scenarios. Ember and Minotaur nodded, who lowered his mask again. Thane just sighed. They formed a square, with one person facing in each direction.

The Beowolves attacked all at once. One immediately lunged for Thane, and he simply stuck his sword out, laughing as the Grimm was impaled, but still alive. He brought the Karambit to its throat and finished it. With a sly grin, he casually slid forward and beheaded another Grimm who was watching his friend getting killed.

Ember lashed out with her lance, skewering a Beowolf foolish enough to move too close to her. As the lance penetrated it, the Grimm burst into flames, turning it into ash. Another beowolf, from a distance, was about to strike, but cried in pain as she threw the lance into its chest, with the same results. Spawning another lance in her hands, she jumped forward and drove it down another beowolves neck. She kicked herself away, sending it to the floor, and the lance then melted, turning into lava.

Arc and Minotaur stood together to face a group of Grimm. They both ran forward at the same time, slicing through their foes with ease. Minotaur gave a hefty swing, and several enemies were sliced into pieces instantly. Arc raised his shield to deflect a strike, and cleaved a foe with a single swing. They stood back to back, slashing their attackers and waiting for an opening to the east, where the outpast sat.

Thane and Ember adopted a team strategy as well, but it only involved facing the Grimm together without a formation. Thane struck his knife into a Grimm's shoulder, then wheeled around it, his knife completing a circle and severing the arm, leaving it to bleed to death on the floor. He seemed to relish in its pain, but Ember struck its face, putting it out of its misery.

Even more Grimm were pouring from the trees, threatening to envelop them.

"Oh dear, Ember, it seems that our deaths are imminent! Would you care to share a kiss before we depart to the spirit realm?" Thane never made a secret of his attraction to Ember, who looked at him with disgust.

"Arc, we need to leave, for more than one reason!" Ember called to their leader.

"Everybody, on me!" He raised his sword, and the group formed behind him.

Together, they ran to the east as several Beowolves gave chase. Ember created a pillar of flame behind them, in the hopes that this would stall the Grimm for a moment. Arc easily cut through a Grimm as it jumped at him, and Minotaur brought the handle of his sword onto another, breaking its skull. Thane threw the knife at another in front of them, and it lodged in a Grimm's chest. As he passed it, he pulled the knife out with a twirl, and gleefully planted the blade into its head.

The edge of the jungle was in sight, a lit building being visible, much to their relief.

"A Chieftain!" Ember called out, as a large Ursa dropped down in front of them.

"Minotaur!" Arc shouted at his companion, who understood what Arc wanted him to do.

Minotaur raised his sword, and a red light surrounded him. He didn't stop running as he charged through the Ursa, sword pointed at it, and ran through it at a blistering speed. The red light transferred to the Ursa, which screamed as it began to disintegrate, not able to with stand the ability. It was completely atomised by whatever Minotaur did to it.

"Big deal… my aura's WAY more useful than that." Thane muttered to himself.

They were out of the jungle, but not out of the woods yet. A field still separated themselves from the outpost.

They looked back, and to their surprise, the Beowolves weren't following them anymore. The Grimm waited, and looked back. Tremors could be felt in the ground, and they fell back into the jungle.

Out of the jungle, a huge Grimm emerged. Towering at over 10 metres, it lumbered toward the group, frightening off the beowolves. Everybody but Thane took a battle stance.

"Relax, my friends, and let good old Thanatos handle this!" Then, Thane put his weapons away, and the rest of the group stood back as he crouched to the ground.

A murky yellow and green light surrounded Thane, and he closed his eyes with a snake-like grin. From Thane's point of view, he had just left his body, like a ghost, and could see himself on the ground. He moved his 'spirit,' as he called it, and travelled to the Grimm that was about to bear down on him.

The Grimm was about to obliterate the human that crouched on the ground, but stopped its fist mid-punch. A strange urge overcame it to stop. It tried to resist the urge, but it was no good. It was losing control of its body. A cackling laugh filled its head, and its vision started to blur yellow and green, as the Grimm brought its claws to its neck.

The group watched as the Grimm clawed out its own throat, before collapsing to the ground with a quake.

Thane brought his spirit out of the diseased Grimm and back into his own body. He stood, smiling.

"Yep, my aura is just about the greatest weapon we have, heh heh…" His arrogance was clear in his voice. Arc disagreed.

"Not quite. It takes time for you to possess something, remember? It's not useful in a full blown battle for you to get to the ground and do nothing while you take over a body." Thane sputtered.

"Yes, whatever…"

Arc and his companions made their way to the outpost, as the broken moon reached its peak.

* * *

**Present day- night**

"Interesting… it seems that this is an actual diary of what transpired 100 years ago. It is unfortunate that these are the final pages of this diary."

"Your ancestor, Ember, is the one who wrote this diary, correct?"

"Yes, but I doubt that their story ends with them going to an outpost. There must be more…"

Crimson had read the details of the diary when she finished deciphering them. Curiously, the story was all over the place, and she had some difficulty reading it as parts of the story resumed on other pages. Junior made them all drinks, which they were sipping as Crimson read. She now took her own drink, as they discussed what they had uncovered. Torchwick began.

"So, this diary only held information on the Luminescent, but then started the story of Ember and her cohorts as they killed Grimm and fled to an outpost? Curious… why did it begin with information, then go into story telling?"

Junior downed his drink, then had an idea. He held out his hand, and Crimson gave him the book.

Junior had held many weird books as an information gatherer. Some of them came from The War, and some of these books had a unique feature.

"If I'm right, which I probably am, you're supposed to read these books from right to left, like a manga."

"Right to left?"

"Yeah, look." Junior held the open book to Crimson, and pointed at the miniscule numbers at the bottom of the page. They were incredibly small, and covered by Crimson's notes, but they were visible.

The page on the right at the end of the book had a 1 in the corner, and the other page on the left had a 2. Junior was right. This explained why she had trouble reading the story. It began from the final page, and went left.

Torchwick was satisfied with the explanation, but he thought of another problem.

"Information on the Luminescent began on the first page, which we now know to be the final page. If the missing or destroyed pages are, in fact, the continuation of Ember's story, this means that this diary holds no more information on the Artefacts. Blast!"

The trio drank, realising that this diary is no longer of any use to them. They wanted to know about the Artefacts, but this diary only tells a story. Still, Crimson had an idea.

"This diary was an heirloom, passed down amongst my family for the past 100 years…"

Torchwick looked at her.

"Really? Why didn't you just say so from the beginning?"

"…There may be more diaries. Ember and her group knew about the Luminescent, which makes it likely that they also know about the other Artefacts. It may be possible that that the other members of her group created diaries as well."

Torchwick liked the idea.

"Indeed, the existence of other diaries may be possible. If other members of her group created them, then they may be in the hands of their descendants, just as Ember's diary found its way into yours."

"The question is, who are the descendants?" Junior had another drink in his hand as he spoke. Torchwick already had an idea of who one of the descendants could be.

"Come now, Junior. A masked man with a red katana? We may have taken amusing pictures of a descendant an hour ago."

"You're not serious…"

Torchwick downed his drink.

"Indeed. I believe that we should chat with Adam Taurus."

* * *

Author's note- Well, introducing 4 new OC's, having a scene involving 2 of the most unlikely characters ever to meet, and bringing in my own idea of what happened during Weiss' childhood. I'm certainly getting ambitious. Ambitious is good, I find. Oh, and who was it that Peach got his information from? That remains to be seen. Also, since when did I write 8k word chapters?

Any Blazblue fans out there may notice that I based Thane's personality, and even a part of his appearance, off of Hazama/Terumi. Every story needs a Hazama style character.

So, I said that I would comment on whether or not I changed Crimsons' personality, but I actually didn't showcase enough of her in this chapter to make a judgment. Meh.


	22. Chapter 21- True badasses

Chapter 21- True badasses.

Author's note- Does anybody remember when RWBY only had about 200 fics on this site? It actually wasn't that long ago, if I recall. Sometimes I wonder if Roosterteeth thought about how popular this web-series would be.

* * *

**Morning**

Yang was awake unusually early.

Maybe it was because she felt guilty about accidentally exposing Weiss' past last night, leading to a restless night's sleep. Maybe it was because she was excited about starting the double battles today. Either way, she wanted to apologise to Weiss. She climbed out of bed to get ready for the day, thinking that the heiress and their team mates probably wouldn't be awake yet.

To her surprise though, Weiss wasn't in bed. Ruby was snoring, her covers thrown all over the bed, with Claws sleeping on her ankles. Blake was curled up underneath her covers, only her bow being visible. Weiss had made her bed, so Yang assumed that she was already gone for breakfast. Probably with that group of rich kids she wrote about. Poor Weiss, she thought, and this time, she wasn't being sarcastic.

As Yang was getting dressed, however, she could hear someone. It sounded like they were singing. She threw on the rest of her clothes and went to the window, tracking the sound of the voice. It came from the roof, of which RWBY's dormitory sat on the side.

"…What's behind you, save me from the things I see…"

It was obvious by now who was singing.

Yang opened the window, and grabbed the ledge of the roof with a grunt. Ruby started to stir, but Yang didn't see her. Hoisting herself up, she saw Weiss standing a reasonable distance from the edge. She didn't notice Yang climb up, so the blonde rested herself on the ground, waiting for Weiss to finish.

"I can keep it from the world, why won't you let me hide from me? Mirror, mirror, tell me something. Who's the loneliest of all?"

And now, Weiss' voice hit a particularly sad octave. Maybe sad wasn't the proper musical word, but Yang wasn't musically talented, so just assigned Weiss' voice to the adjective 'sad.'

"I'm the loneliest of all." Weiss put more emphasis on each of the finishing words. She stood still for a moment, her head hanging low, contemplating how true the song was to her real feelings.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Yang stood, clapping.

"You know, I'm not great with music, or, well, learning anything, really…"

"Is that so? THAT was never apparent…" Weiss turned and folded her arms. She remembered how Yang always goofed around with Ruby in lessons.

"…But damn, girl! Where did you learn to sing like that?"

"My mother, if you must know…"

Crap. Yang was hoping to dodge the topic of Weiss' mother until they had made some more friendly conversation. Still, it was probably better to talk about it now rather than later.

"Okay, look, I'm sorry about totally telling everyone your past like that. I mean, I just got sorta excited about reading your diary-"

"Journal."

"-Journal, and, well, I didn't think you wrote stuff like that."

Weiss shrugged.

"Think nothing of it."

…What? Weiss didn't care? She didn't care that Yang blew the details on how Weiss' mother was killed by her father? Something wasn't right about that.

"Seriously? How can you NOT be mad at me? I mean, if somebody told people about how Ruby's mom died, I would go kick their ass!" It was pretty much figured by Weiss and Blake by now that Yang and Ruby weren't related by blood, and assumed that one of the sister's parents had died. Still, Ruby was the one who's parents had died? Interesting…

"First of all, you only revealed it 2 others, excluding yourself. That hardly constitutes anger, as I'm positive that the team will not spread it across Beacon. Will you?" Weiss' eyes narrowed on the older sister, sending a chill down her spine.

Okay, Weiss was obviously feeling a little resentment, no matter what she said.

"Look, I feel guilty enough just by telling those 2. Will you just please be mad at me? C'mon, shout at me or something! Lecture me like you do with Ruby! Just do something to make us even!"

Yang, without warning, approached Weiss and slightly lowered herself.

"Go ahead, just slap me if you want!"

Yang never wanted people to hate her. She was the big sister of the group, the person anybody could tell anything to. If she wronged somebody, she had to make herself even to them, by any means necessary.

Weiss sighed and rolled her eyes. She raised her hand, and Yang closed her eyes, ready for the hit.

…

*POKE*

Weiss only poked her shoulder, and Yang turned, confused.

"Listen, you airhead, there's no need for your pathetic display of desire for physical harm."

This only seemed to annoy Yang even more, but Weiss put a finger to her lips before she said anything.

"Their is no need to resolve anything, as long as you tell nobody else.. I can tolerate you, Blake and your sister, hence why I'm not concerned with you 3 knowing."

"…You can tolerate us?"

"That's correct. If I'm going to be stuck with you people for the next 4 years, it's only natural that I should be able to trust you with my past. I've no doubt that one day, I'll discover how you and Ruby became sisters…"

Yang looked off to the side, not meeting Weiss' gaze.

"… And when I do, I assure you that I'll tell nobody. If I recall, that is what friends do, although I have little experience with friendship. Now, stop fretting about telling those 2 my past. I resent that you didn't get my permission, but I'm not truly angry with you." Weiss started walking away.

Yang's frustration and guilt lowered, but the feelings were still there. Yang knew had found out how horrible Weiss' childhood was, and that was enough for the feelings to exist, no matter what Weiss said. She still didn't feel even with the Heiress, but that problem soon vanished.

"By the way Yang, you seem in need of a hair brush. Your bed-hair looks cataclysmic."

…This was how her hair always looked. Now Weiss was in trouble…

"Hey, Weiss? You know, when me and Ruby have a heart to heart talk, we always end in a certain way…"

Weiss stopped, and sensed danger approaching. She turned to the blonde, who crashed into her, both arms open. Weiss dropped to the floor, Yang on top of her, forcing her into a bear hug. If someone saw this scene, they would no doubt start taking pictures and spread weird rumours. She pushed it to the back of her mind, as the squeezing of her spine was now her priority.

"Yang, how in blazes is Ruby's spine intact?" She managed to choke out some words.

"Oh, don't be such a baby about it. It's just a hug!" Yang knew how much she was suffocating Weiss right now. Nobody insults her hair like that…

…ever.

Well, Weiss was probably blue in the face by now. Time to let go and say something that she wanted to say since she read the diary last night. She got off her and back onto her feet. She helped up Weiss, who was gasping for air.

"One last thing, Princess…"

"Do tell…"

"I know you don't like those guys you have to hang out with…"

Weiss tensed as Yang put her hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

"And if they EVER give you any trouble, then you better come and tell me, 'cus you know I always look out for my friends."

Any animosity between the pair had vanished for that moment. Weiss was comprehending that Yang would actually look out for her like that. Now she knew why so many people liked Yang. She was always there for you. Yang really was the big sister of their entire group of friends and Weiss was starting to consider that maybe she wasn't as lonely as she once thought.

For all the arguments that they had in their short time at Beacon, Yang and Weiss were actually friends. Weiss smiled for the briefest of seconds, but looked away and instantly wiped it off. Yang still saw it, and knew that she managed to break through that goliath of an ice shell Weiss always kept up. Yep, Yang knew that she could get through to just about anybody.

"Thank you, Yang."

Weiss was perfectly capable of teaching her upper-class cohorts a lesson if they did cause trouble for her…

…But maybe she could tell Yang if they did. No doubt the results would be more entertaining if she issued the punishment.

"C'mon, Princess, let's go wake Ruby! She left that whistle on the floor!"

"Excellent. I believe I still need to exact my revenge on her from when she woke me with it."

Yang and Weiss prepared to start the day, with a newly formed friendship between them.

* * *

KWNPRBRYJ decided to go for a change of pace; instead of going to the cafeteria for breakfast, Ren made pancakes. This resulted in the entire group of 9 sitting around in JNPR's dormitory for the morning. When the hallway was clear, they swiftly moved Claws into the room, who started barking like a dog when he left the RWBY's dormitory. Several teams poked their heads out of their rooms just as they slammed the door shut.

When the 10 were now all in the room, it was a tight fit, to say the least. Ren commandeered the kitchenette area, joined by Nora against his wishes. As Blake looked toward them, she saw Ren skilfully combine ingredients into several pans, even with Nora constantly getting in the way. Curious, Blake approached him, making sure to stay to the side of the kitchenette so she wasn't in the way.

"You seem to be an excellent cook, Ren. Where did you learn?"

Flipping 2 pancakes at once, Ren didn't take his eyes off the pans as he answered.

"Believe it or not, Nora's mother taught me."

Nora stopped guzzling syrup for a moment.

"Hell yeah, my mom taught him! He wouldn't even be a cook without her!"

Ren snatched the syrup from her hands, which he couldn't find until she spoke just then. He flipped some finished pancakes onto a pair of plates, and sprinkled some sugar on them before pouring on syrup.

"Yang, Weiss, yours are done!" He called out to the duo, who were sitting cross legged on the bed at the far end, talking about something. At Ren's calling, they got up and retrieved their pancakes.

Blake couldn't believe that Nora's mother taught him, mainly because she assumed that the mother would be just as crazy as the daughter.

"Really? 'Nora's' mother?"

"That's right. She was a professional chef who had worked in many world-renowned restaurants. She told me that she wanted a prodigy, and at the time, I was the only person around with the temperance to learn how to cook. Several years later, I'm now the official cook among our group of friends."

"Really… why didn't she try to teach her daughter first?"

"She tried to, to begin with, but…"

Ren and Blake looked toward Nora, who was rummaging through the cupboards for no particular reason. After a moment, she quizzingly pulled out a small container of turmeric, not knowing what it was. She held it to her nose, sniffing it.

*ACHOO!*

As she sneezed, she dropped the container, spilling the yellow powder on the floor.

"I think she realised that her daughter didn't have the mental capacity to learn how to cook."

* * *

"Well, you're actually eating something that has sugar and fat in it." Yang was referring to how Weiss generally ate fruit. She merely shrugged as they sat back down.

"I feel that I should take some of your comments about my diet yesterday to heart. Truth be told… I do usually become famished during the day."

Yang tutted, annoyed.

"Well, why didn't you just eat more? Ruby only eats sugar filled crap, but at least she doesn't starve."

"Yes, indeed, her appetite is legendary amongst the students. Sadly, I rarely have an opportunity to eat confectionaries, as I cannot afford to ruin my figure."

"Your figure? Look, you fight monsters most days a week. If you don't eat more, you'll just be a twig." Yang was becoming more concerned for her friend. Why, exactly, did Weiss care so much about her weight? She oughta take a page out of Ruby's book.

* * *

Ruby and Jaune were stood together on the other side of the room. Ruby held her palm to her head, indicating that she had a headache.

"You okay there, Ruby?"

"Yeah… Yang and Weiss blew whistles in my ear to get me up, the jerks…"

"Isn't that how you woke Weiss one day?" Jaune recalled the conversation they once had about their first night in the dormitories.

"Pfft, yeah, well, they're older and shouldn't do all the stupid things I do!"

"Well, nothing you guys do can top the amount of dumb things Nora's done since we became a team. I mean, c'mon, it hasn't even been 2 weeks and I'm scared to sleep when she's around! One morning, we all woke up with glasses and moustaches drawn on our faces…"

Ruby was only partially paying attention, and Jaune noticed. She was looking over at Yang and Weiss, who were having a friendly conversation. Ruby was seemingly entranced by the scene.

"That's weird. Yang…"

Jaune predicted what she was about to say.

"I know, since when did the Ice Queen and the Flaming Beauty become friends?"

"Yang got more pancakes than me!" It turned out that she didn't notice Weiss and Yang being more friendly to each other.

Hearing her cries, Ren flipped a pancake out of a pan and onto her plate, without even looking at where she stood. Happy, she crammed the pancake into her mouth.

"Sfo, my sif and Weifs urm friendf?" She didn't swallow before asking, but Jaune could still make out the question.

"Yeah, it's so weird to look at…" They both stood there, observing the unnatural scene of Weiss and Yang talking without arguing or one of them walking away. They both shook out of the trance, and Jaune resumed their conversation.

"So, look at us, huh? Team leaders, now and forever! For 4 years. You're probably still nervous about being a leader, right?"

She shook her head as she slurped down the pancake whole, getting her mouth covered in syrup.

"Nope."

This didn't inspire confidence in Jaune.

"Oh, yeah, me neither, heh heh…" Totally lying, Ruby thought.

"You really shouldn't be, y'know. You've done pretty good as a leader, like when you told us all what to do when we were capturing Grimm." Jaune scratched the back of his head as he looked away.

"Yeah, but that… that was only one time, and it wasn't exactly a tough situation. I mean, all we did was fight. And even then, Pyrrha got hurt. What kinda leader lets his team mates get hurt like that?"

"Still, you gotta give yourself some credit. Ozpin made YOU the leader, 'cus he knows you've got what it takes. I mean, those transcripts you used to get into Beacon probably show that you're capable of being here, right?" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand when she finished.

"Yeah… my transcripts…" Jaune wanted to get off this topic right now. Thankfully, she saw that Pyrrha and Katil were playing with Claws, and joined them. Jaune was left alone, contemplating how much of a failure he was that he actually faked transcripts to get into Beacon. There was no chance that he would be a hero…

*BEEP!*

His scroll vibrated and beeped several times, indicating that he had a message. He opened it, and to his surprise:

Sender: Headmaster Ozpin

"Mr. Arc, please come to my office immediately. Your father is here and would like to see you."

Reply. Delete. Send to inbox.

His father? This could be either good in the way that he wanted to congratulate his son on a successful week at Beacon, or bad in the way that they found out he faked his transcripts. The latter was more likely. Jaune's stomach started to do flips. What would his friends think of him if he were to be expelled?

He put his plate on the kitchen rack. Everybody was too occupied to notice him leave.

* * *

Ozpin's office was not as grand as Jaune had been expecting. It was actually quite a let-down.

A simple mahogany desk sat in the centre of the square room, which had 2 levels joined by a pair of stairs. The theme of the room was doubtlessly grey and green, as the grey walls were joined with the green carpet. To the right on the first floor were several items that seemed out of place, including a large flat-screen TV and a glass container that held a book. To the left was a rack that had several canes placed on it, all of which were painted various colours. On closer inspection, one of them had been opened, and a part of a blade was barely visible. It seemed that they were all weapons of some kind.

Jaune did knock before entering, but received no invitation to enter. He carefully opened the door and walked in, nervously, and took in the sights of the room. He could make out a couple of people talking, but they were on the second floor. Ascending a flight of stairs, the second floor was just as average as the first, and kept with the colour screen of grey and green. Everything seemed generic, such as the plain windows that overlooked the courtyard and the brown cupboards that probably held whatever he needed to make coffee.

In the back of the room stood Ozpin, Goodwitch and Jaune's father. His father was leaning against the wall, his arms folded. He wore similar clothing to Jaune himself, including a white chestplate shoulder pads, and a thick black jacket underneath. He even wore blue trousers and had blonde hair, but he was starting to go grey at the roots. At first, his face was obscured by shadows, and the trio hadn't noticed him yet, so they continued their conversations. Jaune felt the need to stay back for a moment.

"I'm not saying that the Sunrise spells instant disaster for us. For one, it's missing, and for two, it's only a key. Having the key to a door doesn't open the door instantly. This principal applies to the Sunrise, as it needs to be paired with something in order to-"

"-Even so, Jacques, we cannot risk the Artefact being in the hands of another. We only believe it is missing because we do not know its location. We do not even know what it looks like. What if somebody was holding onto the Sunrise right this very moment without realising it? If the Artefact was in the hands of evil, we are all at risk.

"Goodwitch, you're taking this far out of proportion. If the Sunrise was in the hands of evil, we would surely be dead by now. As you can see, we aren't, which means that either it's gone, or it's in safe hands."

"That's not good enough for me, Jacques. The Artefact must be secured to ensure our safety."

"Both of you, Jaune Arc has arrived."

It was Ozpin who spoke last, and Goodwitch and Jacques Arc stopped immediately. Ozpin had noticed Jaune standing awkwardly near the top of the stairs, and he anxiously climbed up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Uhh… hey Dad."

"Heh, you look like more of a man than since I saw you a couple of weeks ago. Seems ages ago since I saw you off at the airship…"

Jaune's father, Jacques, stood out of the shadows, revealing his face.

Jaune could never forget his fathers' face. But it wasn't because everybody remembered their parents' face. It was just a simple fact that nobody forgets Jacques'.

His face was completely scarred.

His left eye was missing, replaced by an eye-patch, and a scar ran down his right eye. Several cuts ran across his face, covering his cheeks, his jaw, and an even larger cut spread across his forehead. Jaune was used to his appearance, but was always a little unnerved by him. It really wasn't the kind of face that belonged to somebody who tucked you in at night as a kid… which he used to do.

Still, there was one thing that everybody who had met him agreed on.

Jacques Arc was a badass. The kind of person that Jaune wanted to be, minus the facial lacerations.

"Hey, Dad." Jaune repeated. He really didn't know what to say to his father.

Jacques approached his son. As he did so, he took a book with no title on the cover out of his pouch and passed it to Ozpin. They nodded to each other, then Jacques looked at his son, sizing him up.

"…You've unlocked your aura." A smile appeared on his lips, proud of his son. He could sense the aura coming from his son.

"Yeah, I got little help from a friend. She's pretty good with auras."

"She? Heh, my son's really growing up!"

"Aw, stop it…" Jaune blushed as his father picked up on how he was spending time with girls.

Unfortunately, Jacques wasn't here to spend some quality time with his son. His expression darkened.

"Let's take a walk."

Jaune wasn't expecting the conversation to take this turn. His father walked past him, his hands in his pockets, and Jaune followed him out of the room.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes until they were in the courtyard. Jacques stopped in front of the statue, and Jaune almost bumped into him.

"Son, I want you to listen carefully."

The boy listened to his father, his stomach turning once again.

"There are some things in this existence that almost nobody can explain. Where Grimm come from, for instance."

His voice was sombre, making Jaune do nothing but listen.

"Yet, these things can be explained by a set few people in this world. Or rather, there used to be people who could explain them. Our ancestor was one of them. At the time of the war, he was simply called Arc. He's one of the most renowned warriors in all of Vytal, as I'm sure you know."

They looked at the statue in front of them. Jaune always seemed to get depressed when he saw it, as he knew that he would never be as famous or as strong as Arc. Jacques continued.

"Many aspects of the war are shrouded in mystery, such as the creation of Dust and where Grimm come from. Yet, there was a group of people who solved these mysteries. Arc, Ember, Minotaur, and Thanatos. 100 years ago, they came to know a group of items referred to as the Shining Artefacts."

Why was his father telling him this? Was there a point?

"These Artefacts contain incredible powers. However, half of them are currently lost. As of now, 2 are known of and are being kept safe. The other 2 are a complete mystery, as they seem to have vanished."

Jaune remembered the conversation that was going on when he entered Ozpin's office. Was this Sunrise one of the missing Artefacts?"

"I'm telling you this because you need some background on the Artefacts before I give you a warning."

A warning? This could only be bad. Jacques crouched down slightly, so that they were eye level.

"There may be people who are after the Shining Artefacts. And they may be evil. You are a descendant of Arc, as am I. If these people know who you are, they may come for you for information."

"Information? What would I know about these Artefacts?"

"Very little. Which is precisely the problem. The group who knew about these Artefacts 100 years ago created diaries, and passed them down to their descendants. I have ours, as I'm sure that the other descendants of Ember, Minotaur and Thanatos have theirs. However, we do not know who they are."

Jaune was trying to wrap his head around all of this information.

"So… we're the descendants of Arc, who was in a group of people who knew these Artefacts during the war. They left diaries to their descendants… why?"

Jacques straightened.

"So that we know about how much of a threat these Artefacts could be to us."

"A threat?" Every word his father spoke furthered Jaune's nervousness.

"That's right. I've read the diary of Arc, which was written in a code that I have deciphered over several years. It tells the story of how the group of 4 came to know the Shining Artefacts, and what they are capable of."

"And… what ARE they capable?"

Jacques looked to the side, brushing his greying hair out of his eyes.

"One of them is capable of pure chaos. Details are scarce on the others in Arc's diary, but…"

Jacques stopped. Was there really a point in explaining all of this to his son? He only needed to warn his son that he could be peril, but there was no point in explaining everything he knew. Even in the worst case scenario, Jaune didn't need details.

"It doesn't matter."

"Huh? It doesn't matter? Why not? This could be kinda important if I'm in danger…"

"It shouldn't come to that. I'm just warning you to be careful."

"Wha- But, you started to talk so much about them!"

"Yeah, I did, but now I'm stopping. I don't want to burden you with all of this information."

"Nice going…" Jaune was still confused with some things that he talked about.

The 2 stood awkwardly for a moment. Jacques had been here long enough.

"Well, I'm off." He turned to leave.

"Huh? No, wait!" Jaune didn't want his father to go yet. Jacques turned back.

"What?"

"Well, uh… can't we just talk for a while? I mean, we haven't seen each other for a couple of weeks…"

"Talk? I wish I could, but your mom'll kill me if I'm not back soon."

"But…" Jaune's heart was crying out for some reason. He wanted to spend more time with his dad, who he loved. He hadn't seen his family for 2 weeks, and he was missing them dearly.

"I hope you're not about to start crying. Me and your mom miss you too, but we know that you're here because you're following your dream of being a hunter. That's why we're not sad."

Jaune was silent as he tried to fight back tears.

"Jaune, we're not gonna forget you, like you're not gonna forget us. You got into Beacon because you're almost as badass as your father, heh heh. I know you won't let us down."

With those words, Jacques walked into the distance, headed for the airship, hands in his pockets.

Jaune almost broke down into tears, not doing so in case anybody happened to be watching.

He was a true failure. He didn't deserve his place at Beacon, and he knew it. What would his father say if he found out that his transcripts were faked? Jaune wouldn't be able to take it. He wasn't a badass at all, just a little kid with a sword and too much talk.

He didn't belong in Beacon.

* * *

"Well, truth be told, I never expected Peach's contact to be Jacques Arc."

Ozpin sat at his desk and opened the diary that Jacques gave him before he left. Goodwitch was standing nearby.

"Indeed, it seems that Peach was correct for once. Surprising. I would be interested to hear how Peach found him."

Ozpin was scanning the pages of Arc's diary. It was relatively intact, and was kept in good condition over the years.

"We shall have to assemble our team tonight. This diary deserves out immediate attention."

"Indeed."

* * *

"Penny… stop."

Adam sat in a dark room, faintly lit by a bare light bulb. The door was open, as Adam hated the stuffy room. He was trying his best to write in a book.

Penny and Adam currently resided in the White Fang HQ. The area was an underground complex hidden under Vale, with a hidden entrance known only to the members and a select number of key accomplices. The complex resembled a bomb shelter, and was most likely used in the war 100 years ago to evacuate civilians if they were under attack. Very few knew about this place.

Penny was sitting opposite Adam, asking countless questions. After they evaded the police last night for stealing a cake, Adam tried to make his way back to HQ alone. Sadly, Penny didn't want to leave him alone. He tried to physically push her away when she entered the HQ, but she somehow found her way back in. She was there whenever he blinked.

"Pal, what are you doing?"

"…Writing.

"Why?"

"…Because I'm trying to find out more on something."

"Why?"

"…Because I want to find this something."

At this stage, Adam no longer cared about what he told Penny. He even told her about him being the leader of the White Fang. Anything to make her stop.

Penny was about to initiate another bombardment of questions, but, to Adam's relief, somebody appeared in the hallway. She was a Faunus with a dog tail.

"Sir, Roman Torchwick and his companions would like permission to speak with you."

…Actually, answering Penny's questions might be preferable. Still, if Torchwick actually came HERE, then it must have been important.

"Let them in." The Faunus nodded, but as she was about to get them, they appeared behind her in the hallway.

"Do you mind moving? I'd rather not catch fleas."

The Faunus glared at Torchwick, and left before she punched him for his arrogance. Adam would have allowed it, if it wasn't for the fact that Torchwick was important to their cause.

Torchwick, Junior and Crimson entered the room. They took in the environment, and Torchwick seemed disgusted by its state. His eyes brightened when he saw Penny.

"My dear girl, may I just say that you're my new favourite person? The way you swept Adam off of his feet last night was simply marvellous!"

Adam groaned under his breath. He forgot that Junior had access to all of the camera's in Vale. It was just one of the ways that he gained information.

"I'm your favourite person? Really?" Penny was becoming ecstatic over the fact that she was liked.

"Do you have a purpose for being here? I hope it's not to mock me." Adam interrupted them before they really started to converse.

"Ah, yes Adam, we do. You see, we have a question for you."

"Do tell."

"Does the name Minotaur mean anything to you?"

Adam looked down on the papers spread before him. They were going to have to wait, it seems. He stood, and holstered Wilt and Blush, feeling that he would be needing it soon.

"Minotaur? It doesn't. Why do you ask?"

Torchwick was feeling as though Adam was preparing for a fight. What for? Maybe he would discover if he just flat out told him why he wanted to know about Minotaur.

"Adam, there is no need to be so defensive, my friend. We're simply trying to discover more about the Shining Artefacts. As an affiliate of mine, you would surely be happy to reveal information of your ancestor to me."

"My ancestor? How would you know that this 'Minotaur' is even my ancestor?"

"It may be because the 2 of you happen to be quite similar. There are those freakish masks you both wear, the red swords, your aura abilities…"

"And? That's still not proof of him being my ancestor."

There was a short silence in the room, which Penny broke.

"Oh, friend? I don't think they said that Minotaur was a male."

…

"Thank you for that enlightenment, Penny. You have truly helped me since we first met last night." Adam was wishing he never met her. Penny hadn't picked up on his sarcasm.

"I'm here to help, friend!"

Torchwick broke out into a chuckle.

"Well, Adam, it seems that you know his gender. Come now, why don't you just tell us what you know?"

"I know nothing about the Artefacts, only about what Minotaur did during the war. Leave."

"Ah, Adam, nice try. The names Ember, Thanatos and Minotaur are not known to anybody. Only those who have a diary of the descendants would know their names. And if you have a diary, and have deciphered it enough to discover their names, you simply must know about their exploits with the Shining Artefacts. Why, It would be silly to not know about what they did if you have their diary!"

Junior noticed what was on Adam's desk.

"Torchwick, could I just direct your attention to something?" Junior pointed to the book on the desk, which was open and filled with scribbles.

"Well well, would this be the diary? May I just have a peek?"

"No." Adam snatched the book as Torchwick reached out for it, then placed it inside his coat. Torchwick tutted.

"That was quite uncouth of you, Sir! I'm going to have to ask you to hand over that diary, or you may suffer some consequences."

"Friend, I think they're threatening you." Penny pointed out.

"I noticed. Torchwick, I'm sure you've figured by now that I'm not going to hand this over to you. I'm investing too much time into finding these Artefacts to just give this kind of information to you."

Torchwick shrugged.

"What a shame. I considered you one of the finest of all the White Fang freaks, but it seems that you're just as untrusting and deplorable. Ah, well."

Torchwick raised his cane, and Junior brandished his weapon as Crimson flared her hand. Adam placed his hand on the handle of his sword.

"Penny, stay near the walls and leave as soon as you can, if you want to avoid being killed. Then don't come back, if you don't mind." Adam saw this as a chance to get rid of Penny.

"I don't need to leave. I'm combat ready, and I'm not letting them hurt you, friend!"

Penny got out of her chair, and leaned forward. The flap on her back opened, and a bundle of swords floated out, positioning around her, much to the dismay of Torchwick and Junior. Crimson didn't seem unnerved in the slightest, but Junior was becoming agitated by the new competition.

"Torchwick, I want to point out that she's controlling a bunch of floating swords."

"I noticed." Torchwick gritted his teeth.

Adam turned to Penny, but didn't leave his stance.

"You can fight?"

"That's right! I am equipped with the Puppeteer, a medium class custom designed telepathically controlled sword cluster, capable of short controlled devastator level laser blasts!"

There was a silence on the room as they took in the information Penny gave them about their weapon.

"…Right. On second thought, you can fight alongside me." Adam turned back to his opponents with a cocky smirk that he never usually showed. Torchwick pulled at his collar nervously.

"Crimson, your thoughts on our situation?"

"We fight."

"Eh?"

"This is the only way we currently know of of gaining information on the Artefacts. If you and Junior are too cowardly to fight a small girl, then stand aside."

"No no, we can fight, can't we Junior?"

"Yeah, because I'm NOT crapping myself right now." Junior didn't like the idea of fighting this girl.

"Good. So, Adam, it seems that a fight is at hand."

"Got that right."

Adam pushed the sword slightly out of its sheath, and Penny readied her hands. Torchwick lifted the cane onto his shoulder, ready to use it as a melee weapon as opposed to a range weapon. Junior lifted the batzooka, ready to launch missiles. Crimson simply lifted her hands, flaring them.

A fight between criminals, robots and revolutionaries was about to begin.

* * *

Author's note- Boy oh boy, do I love violence! In fiction, of course. I hope that the story isn't too complicated to follow; I'll find an excuse to do a summary soon.


	23. Chapter 22- 5 seconds

Chapter 22- 5 seconds

Author's note- *Flicks through reviews*

"Ruby and Yang are blood related."

I-whu-but-huh- What!?

So, after some incredibly extensive 20 second research, I did indeed discover that the Oum-meister confirmed that neither Ruby or Yang are adopted. Thanks to whoever pointed that out, because I'm not up to date on things mentioned outside of the actual episodes. You'd think that I'd pay more attention to these details.

Still, Ruby and Yang being, most likely, half sisters isn't all that important to this story. I'm aware that this means there's an error last chapter, but I'm sure I'll think of an excuse for it in the coming chapters. If I miss out on another detail, then scream at me in a review.

* * *

**Odd time between morning and midday**

It was a peaceful brunch time in Vale.

Shops were bustling, people were talking, birds were chirping. Children laughed as they played at the park, and their parents gossiped happily. The bright blue sky was cloudless, and the sun shone bright upon the snow covered town. Winter was a wonderful time for Vale, and it was rare for the kingdom to have sun during this season. Some sat at café's, drinking tea and simply taking in the majestic beauty of the town. Nothing could possibly ruin these fantastic sights.

Well, only something like a huge scale battle could ruin the sights, but as if that would happen.

* * *

Penny was the first to attack.

Throwing her hands forward, the cluster of swords separated into groups of 3 and flew into her opponents. Torchwick, Junior and Crimson struggled to evade, as the cramped room offered little breathing space. The swords were embedded in the walls as the trio ducked and dived away. She pulled them out as Adam followed her attack by shooting his sword at Crimson.

She deflected the sword with a swipe of her left hand, and aimed at him with her right. Adam dashed and grabbed his sword before it hit the floor, and swiftly swung it around, almost slicing her hand off. She jumped back, pressing against the wall, and Torchwick jumped between them, firing his cane at Adam. He sliced the bullet in mid-air, and the pieces continued to the back of the room, exploding and damaging the wall.

Adam practically warped to Torchwick, engaging him in a melee battle. The sword and cane were red and grey blurs as Adam attempted to break through his opponents' defence, which consisted of twirling the cane to deflect the sword. He was more capable of a fighter that Adam thought, considering that he was able to withstand his brutal attack style. Adam, in a split second, sheathed his sword, then pulled the trigger as he raised it above his head, trying to split Torchwick in half.

Torchwick barely blocked the attack, and they were locked in a contest of strength as their weapons clashed, causing a brief spark between the weapons. Adam was quickly winning, being the strongest of the pair.

A bang alerted Adam to the presence of Junior, who had fired a barrage of missiles at him. He and Torchwick jumped back, and the Crimson had to jump away as the missiles impacted the wall, almost breaking it. She felt the heat of the explosions, which wasn't too different to the heat she produced herself.

This room was far too small for the fight, and all 5 of them knew it.

Penny still intended to fight in these cramped quarters for now. Her swords hovered in front of her, circling repeatedly. They gained momentum, and a ring of light formed in the centre. Torchwick recalled what Penny said about lasers. This was about to get nasty.

"Crimson, stop her!"

Torchwick and Junior teamed up to continue fighting Adam, and he fended off the cane and bat that were swung overhead in his direction. Raising his sword and sheath with both hands, the 3 weapons clashed together. He took the sword out with his right hand while still keeping up his defence with the left, and made a swing at the duo. They immediately backed off, and they both turned to what was happening with Penny.

Crimson fired several balls of fire at Penny, who didn't even flinch when they connected. The swords continued to gain velocity, completing the light of energy.

* * *

A pair of Faunus stood in a hallway, looking bored. One had an orange cat tail, and the other had a maroon pair of dog ears.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You ever wondered why we're here?"

"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? Why ARE we here? Are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night."

…

"What? I meant why are we 'here,' in this hallway?"

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

They were about to comment on the futility of standing around in a hallway, when explosions could be heard further down the hallway. Well, explosions weren't exactly unknown to the members of the White Fang, but they shouldn't be heard in their own base. The guards crept down the hallway, approaching Adam's room.

A moment later, a laser blasted down the walls of the room, and 3 individuals, who they recognised as the people they allowed entry to the base earlier, were thrown across the hallway. They collided with the guards, and they all tumbled to the ground. Out of the smoke, Adam and Penny jumped out of the room. Penny still had the swords positioned in a ring in front of her, planning to let loose the laser again.

Crimson was the first to get to her feet. The guard with the orange tail was standing, but she delivered a flaming punch to his genitals, crippling him. She aimed both of her hands at Penny, and fired a stream of flame, before another laser was fired. Adam stood in front of his team mate, absorbing the flames with his sword. The red details on his mask glowed brighter.

Junior made the mistake of attacking Adam. As he brought the bat down on him, Adam cleanly swung his sword vertically with almost no effort. A flash of red enveloped the surroundings, and everybody, in that single moment, expected Junior to be cleaved in half.

Instead, and everybody was surprised, Junior was thrown back with a grunt. He was still whole.

Slowly, they watched him get back on his feet. Torchwick was the most surprised.

"How…?"

Junior heaved the bat onto his shoulder, grinning. A silver shimmer surrounded him.

"Crimson's semblance lets her summon fire. Your semblance lets you turn things invisible. And my semblance, lucky for me, is endurance."

"Endurance? Interesting…"

So, Junior could take a ton of punishment, basically. The real question was how much a ton was. What would happen if he were to be beaten down repeatedly? A person's aura could only take them so far, no matter what their semblance was.

They had almost forgotten that they were in a fight. Crimson summoned a pillar of flame underneath Adam and Penny, not wanting to risk firing another stream of fire for Adam to absorb. Penny was forced to evade by rolling forward, throwing the swords forward. Crimson responded by moving one hand back and the other forward, as though she were holding a machine gun. Several blasts of fire shot forward, knocking each sword out of the air.

The hallway was incredibly narrow, and the clash between Crimson and Penny was obstructing the other 3 fighters. That didn't stop them from using their guns, and Adam unsheathed his sword, aiming the sheath at Junior as rockets were fired. With several shots, he took out the rockets mid-flight, causing them to explode and rattle the hallway. A stream of dirt fell from a crack in the ceiling, and Adam started to worry about their surroundings; they were underground, after all. If the roof collapsed, they would be completely buried.

Nobody else seemed to be worried. Torchwick fired his cane multiple times, and a group of high calibur bullets came Adam's way. Instead of risking trying to slice them, he rolled forward, under the conflict of fire and swords that Penny and Crimson were engaged in, and swung his sword.

Junior saw that Adam had rolled to them, and he raised the bat to block the strike. However, Adam wasn't aiming for Junior or Torchwick.

"Crimson!"

She didn't know who called out to her, but a flash of red steel warned her that she was in danger. She had to stop attacking Penny to dodge an upward slash, and was pressed against the wall. Junior swiped at Adam, who parried the attack with a flick of his sheath. As the sheath collided with the bat, he pulled the trigger, firing a bullet at Torchwick. The feather capped man leaned to the side as the bullet hit the wall, and he fired a bullet back. Adam pushed away from Junior to slice the bullet.

Penny saw an opportunity, and split her sword into groups of 3 once more. They all flew into her adversaries, and they joined together as they dived away.

Penny and Adam stood side by side, as the trio re-grouped. They looked at each other from across the hallway. Penny started her laser sequence again.

"Crimson, can you reciprocate in any way?" Torchwick asked his team mate.

Crimson didn't respond and formed a flaming glyph in front of her. More circles appeared further down the hallway. Orange grains of energy flowed into the glyph, and she readied herself to let loose with a devastating attack.

Penny fired her laser as Crimson unleashed a large ball of flame, which gained speed with every circle it passed through. The projectiles collided with incredible results.

* * *

Further in the White Fang HQ, another pair of guards were talking. One had a light blue pair of cat ears, holding a rifle and the other had an aqua coloured monkey tail, with a cyan sword in his pocket. They were watching a group of people on the other side of the mess hall, which consisted of bland tables and low level lighting. It was the largest room in the White Fang HQ, as it was about the size of a school gym.

"What're they doing now?"

"God damn, I'm so sick of answering that question!"

"Hey, you have the cat ears, I can't hear anything!"

"Okay, okay, look. They're just standing there and talking, okay? That's all they ever do, just stand there and talk. That's what they were doing last week, that's what they were doing 5 minutes ago. That's all we do in this base. So, 5 minutes from now, when you ask me what they're doing, my answer's gonna be, 'they're still just talking, and they're still just standing there! We're too stupid to be given any missions in the White Fang, so that's all we're gonna do!"

…

"What are they talking about?"

*BANG!*

The light blue eared Faunus didn't have a chance to swear at his aqua tailed 'friend,' as an explosion rang though the entire base. Alarms reminiscent of a bomb warning sounded throughout the ancient shelter, and the foundations of the rooms were shaking and rapidly deteriorating. Rubble fell from the ceiling, and mounds of dirt poured in the newly formed gap. The age of this shelter was clearly catching up with it, as it was no longer strong enough to stay together in the face of explosions.

"Alert. Shelter collapse imminent. Please evacuate the shelter."

A monotonous women's voice played through the speakers installed into the base. The members of the White Fang situated around the underground shelter didn't need telling twice, and they all vacated, tripping over one another as more of the ceiling caved in.

The blast that resulted from Crimson's and Penny's attacks sent the trio of criminals flying through the wall at the back of the hallway, and into the mess hall, scattering tables. Dirt and stones continued to flow into the room, threatening to consume everything inside of it.

"Well, we seem to have made our mark on this base. Would you 2 care to evacuate?" Torchwick saw that their death would be approaching if they stayed here any longer. Junior pulled a scroll out of his pocket, and typed an instant message to somebody as he ran.

"Need backup. Call in chopper support. Be combat ready."

They made their escape out of the base as the rest of the ceiling collapsed, ensuring that the underground bunker was lost to time for good.

Adam and Penny had been blown back into the office. Scrambling to their feet, they saw that dirt was swiftly filling the room, and they both re-entered the hallway, which was now a smouldering crater. The earth fell behind them, preventing re-entry into the office. They quickly ran to the other end of the corridor, crossing the crater, but as they reached it, more dirt fell, blocking the exit. There was no visible exit in sight, and more rumbling indicated that they would soon be crushed.

"Friend, above us!"

Penny pointed up, and Adam saw cracks of daylight through the crumbling earth. The explosion was large enough to blast up to the surface. Penny wasted no time in grabbing Adam's wrist and jumping up, easily elevating herself up to surface level. They narrowly escaped the cascade that followed, and they ran from the ground that tumbled beneath them.

When they were sure that the ground wouldn't fall from beneath their feet, they took in their immediate surroundings. It looked like they were in a park, complete with swing sets and slides. It amused Adam to think that he was so close to humans every day, and they were none the wiser to how a wanted revolutionary was only several feet beneath them.

Adam looked around for Torchwick and his companions. He imagined the layout of the HQ, and where they were in relation to the exit, which was likely where they escaped. Hopefully they didn't escape and were buried, but that was only wishful thinking.

"Follow me." He commanded Penny, and they made their way to the entrance of the wrecked HQ. It was broad daylight, and people were staring, but he didn't care. He would worry about what to do in regards to a new headquarters after he dealt with Torchwick.

The criminals jumped out of the exit as it crumbled. They landed on the floor, covered in dirt. The ground beneath them was grass and mud, and Torchwick recognised the area where the entrance of the White Fang was located. Many trees were positioned in the area, as it was the border between the city of Vale and a forest. The entrance was cleverly hidden as a hatch covered in grass, which would be impossible to notice for anybody passing by.

Torchwick was the first to get to his feet…

…And was faced by a Faunus with a dog tail, holding a hand gun to his face. He realised that this was the same Faunus he insulted earlier, and she didn't look happy. Oops.

"You… YOU did this to our base, didn't you!?"

He chuckled.

"Base? I thought this was a kennel."

"You little-" She was about to pull the trigger, but was struck in the face by a bat. Wheeling round, she saw Junior lunge in for another attack. The Faunus jumped backwards…

…and the criminals saw that they were faced with many, many Fauna. Many angry Fauna, who held many weapons, and were willing to use them. The White Fang were about to kick their ass.

As they closed in on the trio, preparing their weapons, some of the Fauna with more sensitive hearing stopped, picking up a noise.

Helicopters, as a plural.

Over the horizon, at least 10 silver helicopters came into view. Ride of the Valkyries would be a suitable song to play right now. Some of the doors were open, and they could see goons in black suits leaning out of the side. Torchwick glanced at Junior.

"Well, colour me impressed. You actually called in backup from a group of incompetent goons." Junior shrugged.

"They're not THAT incompetent. And besides, you think I'd go into the White Fang HQ without a contingency plan? You gotta give me more credit that that. And it's not like YOU thought of having backup at the ready."

"Fair enough."

"Fool, Roman, I shall point out that we're still surrounded by animals."

Crimson was still on her guard, in case a Faunus decided to stop staring at the helicopters and attack them.

And some did. A rhino horned Faunus lunged forward with a bladed gun, and Crimson stepped to the side. She ignited the ground beneath it, and it was sent into the air with a cry. 2 more fired shots at her, and she deflected the bullets. Junior opened his bat and fired rockets, making them and the surrounding Fauna scatter.

The helicopters hovered overhead, and Junior's goons rappelled down, toting machetes and tommy guns. A pair instantly opened fire on the Fauna, and they ran in various directions, trying to surround the new adversaries. A light blue eared Faunus returned fire with a sniper rifle, but he was terribly inaccurate.

All out combat embroiled between the goons and the White Fang. The clanging of metal filled the area, and gunpowder became the most distinctive smell. Torchwick tapped his companions, gesturing them to follow him to a landed helicopter. He didn't want to be a part of this battle any longer.

As he approached the helicopter to open the door, a streak of red flashed before him.

"Gah! Is it truly necessary to attack me when we're retreating!?"

Adam stood before them and the helicopter.

"You're going nowhere until you tell me why you want my diary. Why do you even want the Shining Artefacts?"

Penny caught up to Adam. She identified the White Fang members, who she knew was an ally as they worked under her friend. She tossed her swords at Junior's goons, and fully joined the fray.

"Ah, why are we after the Artefacts, indeed? 'Tis a mystery, isn't it? Tell me, why would a filthy revolutionary like YOU want the Artefacts?"

Another group of Fauna closed in on the criminals, and Junior and Crimson were forced into combat.

"Like you said, I'm a revolutionary. I want the power of the Artefacts so that the White Fang can become the most powerful force on this planet. We take our rights by force, and the Shining Artefacts would be a large leap in the right direction."

"Hmm, how did I know? You simply want the Artefacts for your ragtag band of degenerates."

"When I find the Artefacts, you will no longer address the Fauna in such a way, I promise you."

Torchwick leaned in on Adam.

"Well, that depends on whether or not you ACTUALLY get the Artefacts before me, doesn't it?" Torchwick took satisfaction in the fact that he already had the Starlight. He wasn't planning on telling Adam this.

"I promise that I will. You won't even live long enough to see the sun reach its peak."

Enough words. Adam wanted to know Torchwick's motive for obtaining the Artefacts, but now he didn't care. He would just kill him here and now.

Adam raised his left hand, making a fist. A group of 4 Fauna saw the gesture, and rallied alongside him. They all converged on Torchwick.

Junior saw that his companion was in trouble. He pointed at several goons, getting their attention, then pointed at Torchwick with 3 fingers, indicating that they were to defend him. The 5 goons rushed forward at Adam and his allies.

Penny separated the swords so that they all floated individually, and shot them all at a group of goons who had surrounded a pair of Fauna. They stood no chance as the swords collided with them, sending them to the ground. The Fauna nodded their appreciation at Penny, and resumed the battle.

A blast of fire struck Penny in the face, but she hardly flinched. She looked in the direction of the attack, and saw Crimson standing her ground, tossing an orb of fire in the air arrogantly. Penny re-gathered her swords and sent them flying at Crimson. She produced a barrier, deflecting the swords to the left, but jumped into the air as they came back at her. As she was suspended in the air, she threw her hands behind her, and fired a stream of fire. She propelled herself at Penny, who formed her swords in front of her like a giant fan, threatening to blend Crimson.

The dark haired woman propelled herself again while in the air, flying over Penny. Before she landed, she summoned a pillar of flame under her adversary, hoping that she would be too confused by Crimson's flight pattern to notice the attack.

Penny did notice; she formed the swords around horizontally around her waist and dashed forward, barely escaping the flames. Crimson was forced to raise her defence as the swords almost severed her in half. They ricocheted away, flying off in different directions. Some of them became embedded in trees, but this was to Penny's advantage. With half of her swords, she continued her attack on Crimson, but also stepped away slowly.

The trees were becoming uprooted. They separated from the ground, and Penny pulled them behind her. A goon was struck in the head during the process. Penny leapt back, still facing Crimson, and threw the trees that were connected to her swords.

Crimson summoned a glyph of fire in front of her. As the trees passed through them, they were incinerated, turning to cinders almost instantly. Crimson and Penny were on equal footing once again.

Junior was taking part in the main battle between the White Fang and the goons. He didn't outright attack the Fauna, but instead gave orders and only attacked when he had a safe opportunity. He observed the battlefield.

About 60 goons to 75 White Fang members, and the goons were losing members fast, in no small part to robo-girl. For now, however, Crimson had her occupied.

Really, it was fortunate that there was only this many opponents. The White Fang were always sending members away on missions, so 75 was hardly any at all. If the full force of the revolutionaries was here, this battle would already be lost.

Junior fired missiles at a Faunus who was staying back and picking off goons with a sniper rifle. He was so occupied that he didn't notice the threat, and was blasted further into the forest. Another 74 to go. This battle was taking too long. He pulled a scroll out of his pocket, and shouted a command into it, talking to the pilot of a helicopter above them.

"Link the Vulcan cannon to my scroll, now!"

On his command, the bottom of a helicopter opened up, revealing a large rotatable minigun, pointed at the ground. Junior ran away so that he could control the cannon from his scroll, ducking behind a tree.

On his scroll, a black and white first person perspective of the Vulcan cannon appeared. Several touch sensitive buttons were positioned in the corners, allowing Junior to fire the gun, as well as show an ammo count. His goons were all equipped with a electronic tag, which lit up each goon on the screen, allowing him distinguish the White Fang members. This battle just got easier.

Adam and Torchwick's respective group engaged each other, 5 to 6. Adam started the proceedings by swiping at Torchwick with the sheathed sword, which was blocked, then firing the sword and swinging right, taking out a goon. Behind him, a Faunus with a claw was duelling a goon with a pair of knuckle dusters, but was gunned down by a tommy gun firing goon behind Torchwick.

Another White Fang member jumped over Torchwick, swiping bullets away with a katana similar to Adam's. He closed in on the goon, burying the sword in his chest, but as he did so, Torchwick wheeled around and blew him away with a gunshot. He swiftly turned back around as Adam struck again. As he blocked the attack, he fired his cane again, which was perfectly lined up with another Faunus. The Faunus stood no chance.

Only one more White Fang member remained alongside Adam, against Torchwick and 3 goons. They stood facing each other for a moment, before Adam initiated an attack, firing his sword at a goon beside Torchwick, It hit him in the face, knocking off his sunglasses. Adam, in the brief interim of his sword being suspended in the air, aimed his sheath at the remaining goons, firing the built in gun. They scrambled away , and Adam dashed to his sword and slashed the stunned goon. Torchwick was about to stop him when a blade attached to a rope sliced the feather off his hat.

The remaining Faunus had a claw with the ability to fire its blades. The blades remained attached to a thin piece of rope each, and he swung them like a triple bladed kusarigama, a chain sickle, with the main part of the claw being their anchor.

The Faunus, who Torchwick once again realised was the girl with the dog tail, retracted the blades back into the claw. She also held a handgun in her right hand, and she cocked it with a smirk, while wiping a strand of golden-brown hair out of her eye. Torchwick returned the smirk.

"We really MUST stop meeting like this. I'm starting to worry that the undomesticated collie that you are will bite my suede shoes. These happened to cost a fortune, you know?"

"At least I have a bite, whereas you're all bark."

It wasn't her best effort at an insult, but it worked well enough. Without waiting for a response, she swung her claw, and the 3 blades separated, leaving a trio of silver streaks in the air. Torchwick dived away, but almost collided with a goon, who was being occupied by Adam. He got to his feet quickly enough as Adam cut the goon apart. Torchwick lifted his cane to fire at the girl, but was met an abundance of bullets fired by her handgun. Rolling away gracefully, he spun his cane around at an astounding rate, deflecting a couple of bullets.

The clicking in her gun indicated that it needed reloading. She holstered it, and closed in on her opponent. Before she reached him, she jumped and twirled in the air, the blades of her claw creating a cyclone of silver steel. Torchwick fired his cane as he backed away from the whirling steel, and the bullet was cut in half. She stopped upon landing, and pulled the blades back into the claw.

She was about to lunge at him, but a hailstorm of bullets rained down on her. A Vulcan cannon opened fire on her from a helicopter that circled above them. She swore and ran, the bullets mere millimetres from her. As she ran, she put a new magazine into her gun, and fired it at the cannon, uselessly.

Adam cut down the remaining goon with ease, and spotted the vulcan cannon above him firing at his comrades. It needed to go.

The minigun now picked Adam as a target, and he swiped bullets away as he jumped up to a tree, landing on a low hanging branch. The bullets pierced the tree, sending it tumbling to the ground, and Adam jumped again, gaining more elevation. The trees continued to plummet as he continued his ascent, and he now stood at the top of a tree, with the helicopter a few feet above him.

Junior was still controlling the cannon when he looked around the tree to see the White Fang leader jump onto the cockpit of the helicopter. Adam stuck the sword through the glass, stabbing the pilot. He jumped off as the helicopter lost its means of control, and crashed, circling, into the ground in a typical movie like fashion.

Well, perhaps NOW was a good time to leave. He shouted a message into his scroll, and seconds later, another helicopter hovered above. It barely had room to land, and branches of a tree were shredded in the rotors. He pressed a button on the screen, which sent vibrations to the electronic tags of his men.

"Torchwick, Crimson!" He called out into the battlefield. They saw him and the helicopter, and realised that they were losing goons, fast. They needed to retreat. Crimson ignored Penny and made for the helicopter, as did Torchwick.

The other goons knew that they were losing. A vibration in their electronic tags told them so. It was the signal to retreat.

Junior's helicopter began to take off, hovering above the field, and he watched what remained of his men look around for the helicopters. They were landing in the outskirts of the forest, and the men ran for them, fearful for their lives. 3 of them were trapped by a group of Fauna, and they threw down their weapons and got on their knees in surrender.

But it didn't help. The Fauna cut them down without a second thought.

"NO! You MONSTERS!" Junior cried out as he saw his defenceless men being killed.

Adam heard Junior, who's helicopter was circling the area. He shouted back at Junior, making himself heard over the rotors.

"Monsters!? We're simply defending ourselves! YOU tried to take my diary by force, and YOU called in your men to attack us! Are we supposed to stand by and let you kill us!?"

"No, you weren't! But you're not supposed to kill defenceless soldiers! They surrendered! It's no wonder you bastards are called monsters, when you kill people who won't defend themselves!"

"Idiot! Your men know the risk of battle, as do mine! Death is inevitable in combat!"

"That's your philosophy!? They were in combat, so they should die!? They willingly put down their weapons! They weren't fighting!"

"Then that's their foolishness! We don't care about the lives of humans! Why would we spare them after they tried to kill us!?"

"Because they're just soldiers! They're just following my orders! If a White Fang attacked me and surrendered, I'd spare him because it's not his fault that he's following orders!"

"Is that so?"

On the ground next to Adam, one of Junior's men was lying on his back, wounded but still breathing. Adam picked him up and held his sword to the man's throat, looking up at Junior. The man looked fearful, with tears in his lives.

"Please, don't!" He cried out.

"You're saying that I should spare this mans' life because he was following your orders!? In that case then, it should be you who faces my sword! Come down from that helicopter, and I'll spare his life!"

Despite the noise of the rotors from several helicopters, a deathly silence filled the outskirts of the forest. Junior had never faced such a difficult decision. If he sacrificed himself, his man would be spared. If he did nothing, the man would become another number on today's death count. Junior called out once more, and the man shuddered, scared that Junior would stay where he was.

"This is why you'll never get your rights! I've been responsible for people's deaths before, but I've never killed anyone who doesn't deserve it! I've betrayed people, no doubt, but they were never innocent like that man! You White Fang bastards will never get your way like this!"

Adam laughed. He seemed like a different man.

"We're already getting our way! You humans started respecting us since we started using these tactics, so that's what we'll continue to do! Now, you have 5 seconds to come down, or this man will die! THIS is how we get our way, because it works!"

5

"Damn it Junior, we can't stay here! Just let him go!" Torchwick called out behind him.

4

"Fool, just leave him! Do you truly believe that Adam will spare his life if you go!?" Crimson threw in her opinion.

3

"Adam, why are you doing this?" Penny was confused about Adam's reasons for this. He seemed nothing like this when they first met. Was he even the same person? Was he still her friend?

2

"Please! I have a fiancé! She's pregnant! I'm just doing this so I can pay for our wedding!" The man was begging for his life.

1

"Time's up!"

Adam raised his glistening sword. Junior was about to jump down.

"This is why Blake left!"

A new voice chimed in. Everybody turned their attention to the girl with a dog tail. Adam lowered his sword before responding.

"What?"

"She left because she hated how you didn't care about human lives! She believed that everybody's life was equal, but you only think that a Faunus' life is important! You're the reason Blake left!"

Adam turned back to Junior, who was actually about to jump down for this human. He contemplated the girls' words. A moment of silence accompanied his thoughts.

Adam kicked the man onto the floor, choosing to spare him.

"White Fang! Gather our dead! We're leaving for our base in the Forever Fall!"

The remaining Fauna stirred into action. They picked up the bodies of their fallen allies.

The man got to his feet and scrambled to the girl who saved his life. He held her hands and looked into her eyes.

"T-Thank you! Please, tell me you name…"

"It's Norn. Get outta here before he changes his mind."

"Thank you, thank you so much! I'll name my kid after you, I swear!"

The father to be ran as fast as he could to a helicopter that landed for him.

Torchwick placed a hand on Junior's shoulder.

"You were about to go for him, weren't you?"

Junior said nothing, donned a pair of sunglasses, and took a seat at the back of the helicopter. His face remained blank.

"That girl's the reason at least one of my men made it out of here today. And she's a Faunus. If she didn't say anything, Adam would have killed me. She saved both of our lives." Junior was in deep thought, considering the fact that not all Fauna were monsters. It was while before he reached a realisation.

There was no such thing as an evil race. Just evil individuals.

Back on the ground, Penny was confused in a multitude of ways.

"Adam, why did you spare his life?"

He noted that she no longer called him 'friend.'

"Because I'm trying to come to grips with something."

"Grips? Did you drop your sword?"

Adam sighed. How could a robot understand something like this?

"It's not a physical thing, Penny. It's… an emotion."

"An emotion? Like sadness?"

"Sadness? I guess it is."

Actually, this still didn't answer her question. Still, it looked like Adam didn't feel like talking right now. She would have to ask later.

The White Fang proceeded to the Forever Fall, with their dead in tow.

* * *

Author's note- Woah, not even I was expecting to get ethical at the end.

While I was writing the second half of that fight scene, I was actually thinking about how great a RWBY RTS game would be. Sure, a fighting game would be nice, (Made by Arc System Works, of course.) but an RTS has potential, I think. You could choose between factions like the Academy, the White Fang, etc, and develop their respective areas to create teams of units. You could also have major teams on the field like RWBY or the criminal trio. Really, am I the only who thinks that this would be great?


End file.
